A WEST Berbice Court heard that the keen sense of smell of a traffic policeman led to the discovery of 29 kilograms of cannabis, valued at $43M.
This was just before a taxi driver was freed of a charge of trafficking in narcotics; but the sole passenger in his vehicle, an East Coast Demerara man, was fined $43M and sentenced to five years in jail.
The term of imprisonment and hefty fine were imposed by West Berbice Magistrate Rhondell Weever on Noel Smith, 42, of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, after she found him guilty of being in possession of 29 kilograms of cannabis sativa for the purpose of trafficking.

Gavin Sukhai, 23, the driver of the vehicle which was transporting the illicit substance, was freed of the charge against him after he managed to convince the magistrate that he was transporting the passenger with three large “salt” bags without knowing what they contained.
Sukhai said he had taken Smith to Canje, East Berbice, on special hire and had remained in the vehicle while Smith was assisted by two young men who had apparently been waiting on him. They loaded the bags into the trunk of his car.
He said he watched the loading of the trunk in his rear view mirror and after Smith had rejoined the vehicle, he drove off on the return journey until the flagging down of his vehicle by the traffic policeman in West Coast Berbice.
Smith had also pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Police Prosecutor Corporal Raquel Mars had called six witnesses to prove the case of the police and this included the manager of a local phone company, whose testimony based on records of phone calls received by Sukhai on his cellphone, supported his claim that he was an unwitting driver who had merely responded to a job for a special hire without having the slightest idea about what was going on.
Evidence led by Corporal Mars stated that a traffic police officer was on duty on the highway at Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice, around 0800 hrs on December 7, 2016 last, when the policeman saw vehicle PSS 6939 proceeding in his direction.
He stopped the vehicle for a routine check of documents and while doing so, the policeman smelled cannabis.

He ordered the driver to open the trunk and when this was done, he discovered three bulky “salt” bags loaded with leaves and stems suspected to be cannabis sativa.
The traffic officer was alone at the time, but shortly after he had stopped the motor car, he spotted a policeman approaching in a vehicle.
He stopped him and this rank assisted him in arresting Smith and Sukhai and transporting the car to Fort Wellington Police Station where the charges were laid against the two men.
Smith was represented by Attorney Joel Edmond and Sukhai by Attorney Horatio Edmondson.