life now that she faces a five year prison sentence for attempting to smuggle cocaine onto the Island with a street value of $21,550.

Conika Michelle Spence last year pleaded guilty to the charge of importing 69.1 grams of cocaine of 73 percent purity through a Federal Express package.

Police received information in October 1999 about a package en route to Bermuda from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

When the package arrived on the Island on October 26 customs officers at the airport intercepted it and gave it to the narcotics department at the Police Station.

Mother jailed for smuggling cocaine The package was opened and found to contain magazines, Jamaican newspapers and a bag in the side flap of the package which contained a white powder.

Police assembled a dummy package that was returned to a supervisor at Federal Express while the powder was tested. The substance was later identified as cocaine.

Over several weeks a woman claiming to be Beverly Thompson repeatedly called the courier company to request the package be delivered to Spence's place of employment Holmes Williams and Purvey.

The phone calls ceased until November 16 when the woman who claimed to be Beverly Thompson called the couriers again to request the package be delivered to her.

She was then told that she would have to collect the package herself. Spence collected the dummy package that day in the name of Lisa Furbert.

Upon returning to work at Holmes Williams and Purvey, Spence was arrested.

A search of her possessions revealed a hard drive which showed she had tracked the package since it left Jamaica.

Crown counsel Vinette Graham-Allen told Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller that the sentence should "serve to be a deterrent to like minded persons''.

Refuting the claims of defence lawyer Mark Pettingill that Spence "just got caught up'', Mrs. Graham Allen pointed out that Spence had not simply imported the drug, but was also dishonest by concealing the drug with a Federal Express package.

Mr. Pettingill agreed that the sentence should serve as an example, but said: "This serves as a very clear message to young people not to be duped by other people or be used to advance the trafficking of drugs.'' Calling it one of the "saddest cases'' he has come across he added: "Don't get caught up and sucked into doing things for others and shrugging your shoulders or turning a blind eye to what's really going on.''