Shaquille King, the 25 years old artiste known across SVG as Mylo Enuh was sentenced last Friday on attempted drug trafficking charges. When he appeared in front of Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett it was to hear what would become of his efforts to export “6 pounds ah weed; 6 pounds 4 ounces” into Barbados on Sunday May 2 from the Argyle International Airport.
The Vincentian soca sensation was given until September 30, 2021 to come up with $10, 000 Eastern Caribbean dollars or be imprisoned for 1 year serving concurrent sentences.
Mylo told Asbert News Network he would always remember the metric conversion for the amount of cannabis that caused him his maiden criminal conviction. “Two thousand, nine hundred and forty three grams. I would never forget that. I might tek ah tattoo ah it too… that’s the first time I ever got caught wid weed.”
The monthly $800.00 salary he’d earned as a supermarket employee was chief amongst the reasons he gave that caused him to risk both his hitherto clean criminal record and the possibility of prison time in pursuit of higher gains.
“I used to get like five dollars and sixty one cents ($5.61) per hour which lead up to $200 a week sometimes $196 according to; and for me, I telling myself, well at this age $200 a week despite of everything – $800 a month rounding off – it ain’t really sup’n for me to be content with because you have other things to do.
“You have bills to pay, yo war eat, yo war go out, yo war buy other things; so by the time yo tun so $800 is going to be finished. Mek it wuss if I had a child too.
“So for me, I decided well if over deh is a better market for me to sell weed than here, I just took the risk. So it’s either you know, no risk no glory. Yo win or yo lose. That’s how it does go.”
The self-styled businessman disagreed with any potential public perception that may define him as a drug pusher even as he decried the limited income streams currently exploited by most creative and cultural industries practitioners.
“I don’t really see myself as a weed pusher, I see myself as a businessman. I started singing music as a business because if I spend money on something or invest my money in something I always tell myself I should be able to make it back because it’s only money does mek you be able to get money….
“I don’t like the idea of having to just perform alone as a way to make money because if we don’t perform we don’t make money. So for instance, if you spend $1000 on record to put it out people will play it, play it, play it and we don’t gain nothing from that unless some promoter or some show in [Victoria] Park say ‘well heh come eat ah food.’”
Mylo admitted that he was disillusioned with the less than ideal minimum wage coupled with the inability to earn revenues from his music career. The promise of a potential $20K payday was more than enough to entice him – a fact he became aware of during his time as an employee in the Barbadian construction industry.
“I didn’t just say I was going start selling weed just so. It’s just that a lot of come into play and when I saw the market for selling a pound of week versus working 7 days a week, I told myself it’s a much better risk. Because $3000 (Barbadian) is $4000 (XCD) – $1 is $1.37 so.”
Today, the singer/songwriter is serving a 7 month suspended sentence for attempting to export 2, 943 grams of a controlled drug. Mylo was fined $7000 for the drugs trafficking offence or he’d be jailed for 12 months if he fails to pay by September 30. He was also convicted on drug possession charges for which he must pay $3000 or face 7 months behind bars.
It was the 4 ounces in his carryon luggage that drew the airport security’s attention. His suitcase, packed with the still very illegal recreational cannabis – some of which he stashed in Tortillaz, Crix, Mac & Cheese packaging, was already on the plane awaiting takeoff.
ANN was reliably informed that the 11 days he spent on remand would be deducted from his sentence if he runs afoul of the law before his suspended sentence expires.
Mylo does not yet have a clear plan as to how he’d be able to raise that much money. He was keenly aware that he’s yet to make even half of the sum he was fined in any of his financial pursuits. As such he’s resigned to the fact that he may have to spend some time in jail although he’d prefer not to.
“It really depends. If by the time I could only come up with half and I give it to them and they say I still have to go then I will go. But I’ll make an effort to pay it.
“Despite of everything, putting meself in prison for a year ain’t really suitable. Because the two weeks [I spent on remand] really slowed me down too,” he said while pointing out that ultimately he was making a business decision to stay out of prison.