Turks and Caicos Pilot Fined After Pleading Guilty to Ganja Charges in Kingston

A pilot from the Turks and Caicos Islands was fined after pleading guilty to ganja possession charges in the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Court on Friday. 

The pilot, 37-year-old Kenado Thomas, was charged last year after parcels of ganja were found in his suitcase at Norman Manley International Airport.

Thomas was fined $15,000 for possession of ganja and an additional $260,307 for attempting to export ganja. 

He faced the court represented by King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie and attorney-at-law Samoi Campbell, who urged the parish judge for leniency. Following their plea, charges of conspiracy to export ganja and dealing in ganja were dismissed.

The incident, which occurred in April of last year, saw Thomas preparing to board a airplane he was scheduled to fly when airport security discovered 18 pounds of ganja in his suitcase. 

Despite his occupation, his legal team successfully argued that he was not a flight risk, securing him bail in May 2023 for $2 million with surety.