An Edmonton mother-of-two, who used her
children as cover while smuggling £47,000 worth of cannabis through
Gatwick Airport after a Caribbean holiday, has been jailed for three years.
Judian Lindsay-Smith, 34, of St.
Joseph's Road posed as an innocent tourist returning from Jamaica
with her children, aged 14 and 8, but was carrying 34lbs of the drug.
She denied, but was convicted at
Croydon Crown Court of importing cannabis at the airport on February
20.
“It is well known that people use
children to make them look less suspicious,” said Judge Shani
Barnes.
“You used a fourteen year-old and an
eight year-old to do what you did on that journey,” the judge told
Lindsay-Smith. “It was a terrible error of judgement.
“I have to assume this was for
financial reward and I know your family is going to suffer.
“When people are convicted of serious
offences they leave behind a trail of destruction.”
The court heard UK Border Agency staff
were monitoring baggage as it was unloaded from the Kingston flight.
A black suitcase bearing the
defendant's address was checked and contained 17lbs of herbal
cannabis wrapped in foil.
A brown suitcase, which also had the
same address, was searched and another 17lbs of the drug was inside.
Officers observed as Lindsay-Smith's
teenage son collected the suitcases and the family tried to depart
via the 'nothing to declare' channel.
They were stopped and the defendant
claimed she had only visited Jamaica to see her elderly grandmother,
who had suffered a stroke eighteen months earlier.
She had spent eight days abroad and
denied knowing there was cannabis in both her suitcases, later
denying they were her suitcases at all.
The jury were also told each bag
weighed 17lbs less on departure than when Lindsay-Smith returned.
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