Businessman remanded for narco possession

A 49-YEAR-OLD businessman was on Thursday remanded to prison on a drug-trafficking charge when he appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan.Cleveland Fortune of One Mile, Wismar, Linden, pleaded not guilty to the offence which alleged that on November 2 at Omai Landing, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, he had in his possession 29 grammes of cannabis.
He was represented by Attorney James Bond, who said his client operates a make-shift shop at the landing.

Bond said that the police during the raid had found the alleged narcotics in an area away from his client’s shop.

“My client was in his hammock sleeping and was woken up by the officers,” Bond noted as he explained that several truckers nearby were also arrested for the same narcotics.

On those grounds, the defence lawyer requested that Fortune be granted bail since he had no knowledge of the prohibited drug and neither was it found in his possession.

However, in court, according to police prosecutor, Inspector Neville Jeffers, during the raid, the cannabis was found in a bag on top of Fortune’s freezer in his shop.

Jeffers pointed out that the accused when confronted by the rank confessed and said “is me weed… I does use it to smoke”.

The Chief Magistrate ruled in the prosecution’s favour on the ground that the lawyer failed to present a reasonable special reason for bail to be granted to his client.

Fortune was remanded until January 17 and his matter transferred to the Mahdia Magistrates’ Court.

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