Businessman granted bail after cannabis charge remand

A Sophia-based businessman, who was previously remanded to prison on a drug possession charge, has been granted bail in the sum of $200,000.
Gavin Dowden was released on Friday when he made a second court appearance, this time before Magistrate Annette Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
He had initially been remanded by Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty after being charged with having just over a kilogram of cannabis in his possession.
The allegation stems from an incident in which Dowden was reportedly found with 1.042 kilograms of cannabis, allegedly discovered near him in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. He pleaded not guilty to the charge during his first court appearance.
When the matter was called on Friday, Dowden’s attorney successfully petitioned the court for bail.
The attorney argued that Dowden, who operates a welding business in Sophia, had been set up. According to the defence, Dowden was at a gas station when an unidentified person approached him with a request to deliver a package in exchange for money. That same individual later returned to the location, this time accompanied by agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), the court heard.
The lawyer maintained that his client had no prior issues with the law, posed no flight risk, and was willing to comply with any conditions imposed by the court.
Despite objections from the prosecution, who argued that the cannabis was discovered within arm’s reach of the accused and that no special reasons were presented to justify bail, the court ruled in Dowden’s favour.
As part of the bail conditions, Dowden was ordered to lodge his passport and report to CANU every Friday until the matter is concluded. The case has been adjourned until July 11, 2025.
The charge followed an operation conducted by CANU officers on Wednesday, May 14, in the vicinity of the Rubis Gas Station on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown.
Acting on information received, agents intercepted a motor car suspected to be involved in narcotics trafficking. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered four parcels containing a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis.
Dowden was arrested on the spot and escorted to CANU Headquarters, where the suspected narcotic tested positive for cannabis with a total weight of 1.042 kilograms.