St Kitts and Nevis: Teenager pleads guilty to drug charges

A young woman living in St Kitts has been jailed after pleading guilty to a number of drug-related charges.

Britany Paola Peets, 19, was sentenced to five years in jail at Charlestown Magistrates Court yesterday (24 October).

She will spend the next four years behind bars, having already served one year on remand.

A joint operation in February saw officers of the Nevis Division of the federation’s police force join colleagues from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Department.

They searched Peets, who was 18 at the time, at the Vance Amory airport, and they discovered seven packages of cocaine in her possession.

She had just arrived from St Martin.

Peets was charged over eight offences, including possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and importation of cocaine.

She was also left with a number of customs charges, including Kknowingly signing a customs declaration form which is false, knowingly making a statement to a customs officer which is false and importing goods concealed in a manner to deceive a customs officer.

Two of the customs charges – importation of a restricted item and fraudulent evasion – were withdrawn.

The teenager is a national of the Dominican Republic but has been living in McKnight, St Kitts.