RAWLE Victor and his common-law wife Janice Daniels appeared on Monday before Albion, Corentyne Magistrate Marissa Mittelholzer jointly charged with having 14lbs of marijuana in their possession.Victor pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. He was also fined $1,680,000, an amount three times the street value of the illegal drug. Failure to pay this fine will result in him having to serve an additional three years in jail, the magistrate cautioned.

His visibly pregnant wife pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was placed on $75,000 bail. Her case has been transferred before the Reliance, East Canje magistrate for hearing on June 13.

Police Inspector Orin Joseph said the charge was laid after a mobile police patrol had made a surprise visit at the couple’s Lot 187 Number Two Village, East Canje Berbice home on Independence Day and asked Daniels, who was sitting under the home, to call her common-law husband. When he appeared, the cops requested that he be present as they search his home.

In the first bedroom, several parcels wrapped in plastic were seen in two bulky black plastic bags. When opened, the parcels contained leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be portions of the cannabis plant. A search of the second bedroom unearthed marijuana in a green tarpaulin under a mattress.

The two persons were arrested and taken to the Reliance Police Station, where the suspected narcotic was weighed in their presence and found to be 14 lbs.

Already facing charges of trafficking in narcotics and robbery-under-arms — committed on New Amsterdam businessman Mohamed Ali, who was robbed of $2.5M as he was about to make a deposit at the Scotia Bank in New Amsterdam on August 4, 2014 –- Rawle Victor pleaded guilty to possession of narcotics, and was accordingly sentenced.