MOCA SECURES GUILTY VERDICT IN COCAINE MAIL CASE

In a decisive ruling on June 18, 2025, the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Court found Yasheka James, Leroy Adamson, and Ashane Bennett guilty of multiple drug trafficking charges, following a detailed investigation led by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA).

The three were convicted before Her Honour, Mrs. P. Blake Powell, Senior Parish Judge, on all counts relating to the illegal exportation of cocaine through the Jamaican postal service. The convictions include two counts of Conspiracy to Export Cocaine, two counts of Taking Steps Preparatory to Export Cocaine, two counts of Attempting to Export Cocaine and Four counts of Using the Postal Service for Drugs.

The charges stem from incidents occurring on June 8 and 9, 2020, when Adamson and James conspired to export cocaine via the Mandeville Post Office, and James and Bennett repeated the scheme at the Santa Cruz Post Office in St. Elizabeth. In both instances, packages containing the illicit substance were mailed to overseas addresses. According to Major Basil Jarrett, Director of Communications at MOCA, “MOCA agents staged an operation at the Central Sorting Office in Kingston and intercepted the suspicious parcels. A subsequent forensic analysis by the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine confirmed that both packages contained cocaine”.

The Crown was represented by Mrs Kamara Sterling of MOCA’s Legal and Prosecutorial Services Unit, acting on Fiat from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The accused were represented by attorneys Kemar Robinson and Terisha Grant. “This conviction highlights the increasing sophistication of criminal networks and underscores the critical role of inter-agency collaboration in dismantling drug trafficking operations,” said Jarrett. “It also sends a clear message that exploiting public infrastructure for criminal gain will be met with the full force of the law.”

Sentencing is set for September 29, 2025