A Lindener was sentenced to three years in prison by Magistrate Clive Nurse, in addition to being fined $63,000 for the offence of being in possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
Troy Francis, 48, of Victory Valley, Wismar, Linden, made his final court appearance at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on Thursday where he was found guilty of two counts of narcotics trafficking, but was found not guilty on one count. Together, he had a total of three narcotic trafficking charges.
Jailed: Troy Francis
The charges against him read that he had 25 and 42 grams of cannabis sativa in his possession at his home and shop for trafficking purposes on February 4, 2017 and June 13, 2016 respectively. He was found not guilty of the former charge, while being jailed and fined for the latter.
In handing down the guilty verdict, the Magistrate asked Francis why the court should be lenient with him, to which he noted that he was a first-time offender and denied knowledge of the prohibited drug. “I don’t sell no weed. I don’t know how it meet in the shop,” the man said, while begging the court for leniency. Magistrate Nurse noted however that the offence is a serious one and the court had to ensure that the penalty serves as a deterrent to ensure that the offence is not committed again.
Magistrate Nurse said based on the quantity of the drug found (42 grams) it proves that it had been for trafficking purposes. The Magistrate therefore handed down the minimum sentence of three years in addition to the $63,000 fine. In relation to the other charge, the court heard that on February 4, 2017, Police ranks visited the home of the man to arrest him on an assault charge committed against the mother of his child. It was there that they found the prohibited drug in a bag on a shelf inside a shop at the same location as the house. However, after perusing the evidence, the Magistrate noted that there were several contradicting stories told by the testifying ranks while under cross-examination. He also noted that the court failed to establish that the defendant had exclusive entrance into the shop and that the prosecution failed to establish that the drug belonged to the defendant. As such, Magistrate Nurse ruled that there was insufficient evidence against him and ruled that he was not guilty of the charge.
