Jamaican charged for attempting to export cocaine in honey and coffee

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) — A Jamaican man who attempted to export cocaine to the United Kingdom concealed in honey, coffee and other household items, is facing charges that could lead to up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of the violations.

Michael Anthony Burrell, 59, a construction worker residing in the suburban community of Confer in Grenada, was arrested and charged by officers assigned to the Drug Squad Unit with two counts of trafficking in a controlled drug and one count of attempting to export a controlled drug.

Police say that the charges were laid following a search of his home during which several items were discovered.

The items found in a black plastic bag contained one pound of cocaine with an estimated street value of US$45,454 along with two bottles of hair product that also tested positive for the presence of cocaine.

Also found were; a piece of paper bearing a name, a United Kingdom address, a telephone number, and a receipt bearing the name of a local shipping agency.

The police then visited the office of the shipping company to locate and search the box that Burrell wanted to ship to the UK.

“On Wednesday 2nd March 2022, Burrell was taken to the agency where a large box was retrieved and opened in his presence. The box contained spices, seasonings, cocoa powder, honey, syrup, and coffee. Upon further inspection of each product, a total of 15 packages were concealed within the goods containing 2.33 kg of cocaine,” said a news release from the Community Relations Department.