By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
A COURT seized more than $19,000 in US currency from a man and a woman yesterday for failing to get formal permission to carry that amount of money out of the country for their trip to Haiti.
Magistrate Samuel McKinney told Samson Viliues, 42, and Marlene Dolce, 31, that they were wrong to attempt to travel with US$19,847 on their person without getting permission from the proper authorities.
They were told that they could have received an outright fine and/or custodial sentence for their actions.
The Carmichael Road residents were arraigned on a single charge of attempted exportation of restricted goods to which they pleaded guilty.
It was alleged that they failed to obtain Central Bank approval to carry the cash outside the country prior to November 29 when they were arrested at the Domestic/International Departure Security checkpoint at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.
According to a summary of the facts read by police prosecutor Supt Ercell Dorsett, around 8.30am on the day in question, officers at LPIA saw the defendants and selected them for a search.
The officers inquired of their destination. They told police that they were travelling to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos on a connecting flight to Haiti.
During the search, Vileus was found with $9,815 and Dolce with $10,032.
They told police that the money was not all theirs as they were carrying funds for other relatives to their families in Haiti.
When asked if they accepted the facts read by the prosecutor, the pair said yes.
“The law requires you, when you are travelling out of the jurisdiction, to get permission from Central Bank or Bahamas Customs to carry that amount. Even though you were carrying for other families, they themselves must have the permission from the Exchange Control,” Magistrate McKinney said.
“The court will not impose a custodial sentence. Instead the court will order a forfeiture of the funds to the Crown. You’ll be placed on probation for one year with the condition being that you don’t breach any laws within that period. If you do, you will each pay a fine of $3,500 or the alternative of six months will be imposed,” the magistrate ruled.
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