The court was told that investigators were in possession of statements from parents who said they were not aware of their children being adopted and sent abroad.

Ford-Drysden, who is of a Bog Walk, St Catherine, was yesterday remanded in custody until January 26.

She is currently charged with forgery, possession of forged documents, and uttering forged documents. However, the court was told that the human-trafficking charges were pending.

The alleged scheme was uncovered on December 8 after Ford-Drysden was arrested by the Flying Squad at the United States Embassy in Kingston, where she had presented forged documents in an effort to secure a US visa for a 16-year-old girl whom she had tried passing off as her child. Source: Jamaica Observer

Hyacinth Ford-Drysden reportedly told the police she was being paid $60,000 (J) for each child she sent to the United States. This is a sad commentary that some parents would just hand their kids over to a perfect stranger to ship overseas without even thinking twice. This isn’t about the child having a better life in the U.S. It’s about selling one’s child into modern-day slavery. The parents who fell for this scheme should be locked up too.