MONTEGO BAY, St James — A routine lunch delivery morphed into a courtroom saga this week after security officers at the Montego Bay Freeport lock-up discovered marijuana and tobacco concealed beneath a single dumpling.
Kenneth Richards, 43, stood before the St James Parish Court on Wednesday to answer three charges—possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, and attempting to slip contraband into a correctional facility. He entered a firm not-guilty plea to each count.
Court filings outline the chain of events: on 12 June, Richards presented himself at the lock-up, claiming to bear a home-cooked meal for a detained relative. Standard screening, however, revealed a small plastic bag stashed under the dumpling, reportedly containing roughly eight ounces of ganja along with loose tobacco. Officers confiscated the parcel immediately.
When cautioned on the spot, Richards allegedly exclaimed, “Oh God, my uncle put it in there, but I’ll take responsibility.”
Prosecutors told Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton that they are still waiting for a forensic certificate to verify the substance and a chain-of-custody statement to confirm how the evidence was handled. With those documents outstanding, the judge set the matter for mention on 30 July and allowed Richards’ bail to continue in the interim.
The case now hinges on the laboratory results and paperwork—without them, the alleged dumpling deception remains unproven in the eyes of the court.
