A 36-year-old paraplegic Jamaican man, who was arrested at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and Tobago more than two years ago after trying to smuggle a large quantity of ganja in his wheelchair, has been sentenced to four years’ hard labour.
The man, Aaron Lewin, a road-side vendor from Clarendon, was sentenced last Friday in the Arima Magistrates First Court.
Lewin pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to traffick 24-pounds of ganja on December 23, 2011.
In addition to being charged with ganja trafficking, Lewin was charged under the Customs Act for importing a prohibited substance and failing to declare such item to Customs officers at Piarco.
In passing sentence, the Magistrate said he considered the large quantity of drugs which Lewin had in his possession, as well as concerns raised by his attorney over his health while in custody.
Lewin’s lawyer had asked the Magistrate to dismiss the Customs charges, which he said carried fines his client could not pay, given that he would have spent the last two years behind bars.
After careful consideration, the Magistrate sentenced Lewin to four years’ hard labour, one year less than the five-year maximum.
Lewin will however only have to spend 18 months in prison, after which he’ll be deported to Jamaica.
