HUBERT Nathaniel Bartholomew, 45, and his Canadian fiancée Rushelle Gittens, 27, were found guilty by City Magistrate Ann McLennan of trafficking 1.550 kilograms marijuana on August 22, 2016 at Howes Street, Charlestown.

They were sentenced to five years imprisonment each and also fined $1.8M separately. Bartholomew and Gittens had both pleaded not guilty to the charge when they were arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court in 2015.

In her submission, the Magistrate stated that the prosecution provided sufficient evidence against the defendants, whereby they proved that they both had full control and possession of the drug when intercepted by the police.

The duo told the court that persons in plain clothes removed the door of the house where Gittens and Bartholomew reside. When the defendants began to protest, they were forced to leave the premises and sit in a minibus, while a search was conducted. During the course of the search, cellphones, cash and gold were allegedly removed from the property.

According to the police report, a search was conducted at the couple’s house, where they were found attempting to flush the drugs down the toilet. Police had claimed that the search was done in the presence of both Bartholomew and Gittens.