"Cocaine fuelled my dasheen habit"

In a court report in today's newspaper, one Alice Esprit of Belles pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to sell. In her defence, the accused said she only sold the cocaine in order to get money to buy fertilizer to cultivate her 800 dasheen plants. She was fined $1,000 to be paid by September or spend two months in jail.

Back story: Dasheen is the "edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants". World dasheen prices are said to be at an all-time high. Belles dasheen, especially the coveted 'swamp dasheen', is highly prized and sought-after. Belles, a village in central Dominica, is ideal for growing the plant due to its high rainfall and cool temperatures.