(CNS): A former customs officer accused of helping drug smugglers move six and a half pounds of ganja through the airport was handed an 18-month sentence earlier this month, nine months of which was suspended. Eddree Joann Fisher was first arrested over the allegations in May 2018 but wasn’t charged until three and a half years later. She then pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import ganja in June last year, admitting she had misguidedly helped a friend and steered him through customs with drugs.
Justice Marlene Carter described Fisher as “an essential cog” in the smuggling conspiracy, which involved Corey James Miller and Kelven Claret and took place between February and April 2018, when Claret and Miller were arrested in Miami.
Fisher was only charged in relation to less than three kilos of cannabis smuggled on the final trip. However, when the two men were caught, Miller had travelled through Owen Roberts International Airport on five other occasions, when he is believed to have been carrying ganja in washing powder boxes.
Despite having this significant role, the sentence was much lower than may have been expected for two primary reasons in addition to Fisher’s guilty plea and her previously clean record. The court found that the delay in the case, which covered almost five years from arrest to the sentencing, was excessive.
The judge said that the defendant had had this case hanging over her head for three and a half years before she was charged following her arrest, which had warranted a reduction, as did Fisher’s personal circumstances as a mother of young children and the sole carer for one child who has serious health problems.
The judge made it clear, however, that she considered Fisher to have abused her position of trust as a customs officer at the airport when she facilitated the smuggling, helping Miller and Claret clear customs and dodge any drug enforcement operations.
The conspiracy was uncovered when the US Transportation and Security Agency found 2.94 kilograms of ganja inside Claret’s suitcase hidden in detergent boxes. After he and Miller were arrested, Claret cooperated with the US authorities, who shared the information about Fisher with the Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control (CBC).
She was arrested by CBC Assistant Director Tina Campbell and her phones were seized. These provided evidence that she had been on duty at the airport at relevant times, had signed Claret’s customs declaration form, and had exchanged messages with Miller to coordinate their movement through the airport without detection on each occasion.
A social inquiry report revealed that she was extremely remorseful and had regretted her actions, which she said she had done because she had a “stupid but kind heart” and had acted out of concern for her friend.
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