Bail granted in US$270,580 airport cash case as police report no lead in Negril yoga teacher death

A man accused of bringing more than US$270,000 into Jamaica concealed inside soap boxes has been granted bail of $2 million and is scheduled to return to the St. James Parish Court on July 1 for case management.

Thirty-four-year-old Shaun Walker, who is originally from Crawford District in St. Elizabeth and now lives in the United States, appeared before Judge Naticia Fairclaw Hilton when the matter came up again on Tuesday. He faces charges including possession of criminal property, concealing criminal property, failure to comply with requirements imposed by an order, and cross-border movement of funds.

The case first reached the court on June 10, when prosecutors opposed bail, citing an ongoing overseas investigation and contact between the Financial Investigations Division and foreign authorities. On Tuesday, defence attorney Donovan Collins renewed the bail application and said Walker denied allegations linked to three of the offences. The judge later granted bail with conditions requiring Walker to report to a police station on set days, surrender his travel documents, and remain in Jamaica.

The court heard that Walker arrived at Sangster International Airport from the United States on June 7 at about 11:55 a.m. Customs officers reportedly found US$270,580 hidden in 28 boxes of soap after spotting irregularities during luggage screening. Walker did not declare the cash on his C5 form. He told investigators the money came from his trucking business and the sale of four semi-trailer trucks, and was meant to help buy a house in St. Elizabeth and a motor vehicle. Authorities said supporting documents were not in his name and that he could not give a satisfactory account of the funds. The cash was seized, his Apple iPhone was taken, and he was arrested by members of the Anti-Lottery Scam Task Force.

In a separate matter, police say investigators have not established a motive or made a breakthrough in the death of 79-year-old yoga instructor Faneta Johnson, who was found dead at her Negril home on Tuesday. Residents discovered her body around 7:00 a.m. and called the authorities. Officers found her on the floor of a room with bruises to her neck. Her body was removed to the morgue and is awaiting a post-mortem examination. Johnson, a Negril resident originally from France who was married to a Jamaican, had taught yoga at several hotels locally and had more than three decades of experience, including teaching in Paris and New York. A senior police official said there were no obvious signs of break-in at the location and that inquiries remain at an early stage, adding, "We are summarizing some things, but we cannot see certain things right now because the investigation is still young in relation to this."

Meanwhile, the opposition People's National Party has called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to remove Dr. Andrew Wheatley from the cabinet amid questions over whether he was appointed while under investigation by the Integrity Commission. The commission has recommended that Dr. Wheatley, the St. Catherine South Central MP and minister without portfolio with responsibility for science, technology and special projects, be charged with four criminal offences, including illicit enrichment. He was reappointed to cabinet on September 17, 2025. Opposition Senator Cleveland Tomlinson said Dr. Wheatley was served an illicit enrichment notice on January 29, 2024, and asked whether the prime minister knew of the probe at the time of appointment. Opposition Leader Mark Golding said the parliamentary opposition would reach out to civic groups to press for Dr. Wheatley's removal.