The one-time manager of Reggae superstar Bob Marley has been convicted of drug dealing offences following a seven-day trial in Jamaica. Former Jamaica football player Allan Cole was jailed for 18 months and fined $15,150 (£7,575) after being found guilty of possession of marijuana, dealing in marijuana and attempting to export the drug in Kingston on Monday (02Jul07). But Cole's attorney Patrick Atkinson notified the court his client would appeal and he was released on $29,850 (£14,925) bail.Cole, who claims to have helped Marley write seven of his hit songs, was arrested in 2002 after police raided his house in the Jamaican capital and found 60 cartons of compressed marijuana, weighing 149 kilograms (328.5 pounds). Cole maintained his innocence throughout the trial, insisting he "was set up".

Tagged in