Duplicate Seals with Identical Numbers Raise Suspicions in Cannabis Trafficking Trial

Two seals bearing identical numbers became a focal point when the trial of two customs brokers charged with the importation, possession and trafficking of 301.4 kilogrammes of cannabis continued in Supreme Court No. 4 on Wednesday.

Corrie McCaulay Brathwaite of Dash Valley, St George and Dwight Anderson Michael Clarke of Mangrove, St Philip pleaded not guilty to committing the offences on September 3, 2012.

Continuing to give evidence during cross-examination by defence attorney Ralph Thorne SC, Station Sergeant Ricardo Ottley was asked about the two seals recovered from the shipping container where the drugs were discovered, one of which was broken.

Explaining that such seals were used to secure shipping containers when leaving their point of origin, he said every seal had a different code but noted that the two taken into evidence in the case bore the same number, which could possibly indicate that one was a forgery and that “someone or some persons” had been up to “nefarious activities”.

“In my experience, when persons are up to activities such as these, they pick two locks of the same number so that when the container is broken, they can replace it with the lock of a similar number so that it will appear that the container has not been tampered with,” the senior police officer stated.

Thorne then said: “It gives opportunity for someone to go into the container for whatever reason and after they have done whatever they have done, they can put back on the duplicate one with the same code. Is that what you are saying?”

“Yes, Sir,” Ottley responded.

His comments were similar to those given by the former police constable who was the lead investigator in the case, Hughshone Gamble, who said two seals with the same code indicated “wrongdoing”.

“The seal that is broken is the one that customs had cut. The purpose of the second seal in the container is because what usually happens is that the container would go offsite to be unstuffed by customs, so before customs actually unstuffs the container, whoever would cut this seal, takes it with him, takes out what they have to take out and then put back on the new seal that is left in the container,” he explained, saying that customs would be left “none the wiser” when this happened.

He suggested that this activity would take place in Barbados.

Gamble, who was the police officer attached to the Bridgetown Port at the time, had earlier admitted to the nine-member jury that he was not present when the container was opened nor when the drugs were brought out.

Asked whether he was aware that the ship had stopped in Jamaica after leaving Canada, its point of origin, Gamble said he could not recall but noted that was a frequent route of cargo ships leaving North America.

He also admitted that attention was often paid to cargo coming out of Jamaica as it was a known origin point for trafficking marijuana.

Senior forensic scientist with the Attorney General’s Forensic Science Centre Dr Marsha Skeete also gave evidence. She testified that she tested the samples of vegetable matter brought to her in the case and she confirmed it was cannabis.