A 21-year-old mother of two who was recently caught with more than seven pounds of cocaine strapped to her body yesterday pleaded guilty to trafficking before Sparendaam Magistrate Zameena Ali-Seapaul.Angelica Forde confessed to trafficking 3.040 kilograms of cocaine on June 15 at the Eugene F. Correia (formerly Ogle) International Airport.

James Forde

The housewife told the court, “It’s my stuff; my husband and children were not involved.”

Her husband, James, however, was charged with inciting her to traffic the substance between June 1 and 15 at their home at Lot 100 B Mora Street, Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara. It’s a charge that the 23-year-old taxi driver has denied.

The couple was represented by Attorney-at-law Mark Conway, who begged the magistrate to impose a light sentence on the mother, since she admitted to the crime and did not waste the court’s time.

Mrs. Forde has to return to court on June 21 for sentencing, while her husband was remanded to prison until July 25.

Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford-Thompson contended that the woman showed no remorse, as she attempted to traffic the drug while travelling with her two kids.

Angelica Forde

The prosecutor gave as the reason for opposing bail for the husband his being charged as a principal offender after allegedly soliciting his wife to traffic the cocaine.

According to Sandiford-Thompson, on June 15, at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Angelica Forde and her two children were on a flight to the US via Barbados when CANU officers stationed there noticed that her clothing was fitted in an unusual manner and became suspicious. Sandiford-Thompson said a female rank took the woman into a room, conducted a body search, and found the cocaine strapped to her body in packets hidden underneath her clothing.