Man jailed, fined for narco trafficking

… says unemployment pushed him into drug trade

A resident of Grove, East Bank Demerara, was jailed for three years and fined $30,000 after he pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Nigel Sookra, who was unrepresented, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Sookra admitted that on November 24, 2016, at Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara, he had in his possession 23.5 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

According to Police Prosecutor Kevin London, a group of Police on patrol observed Sookra acting in a suspicious manner, and as such, they stopped him and conducted a search on his person. During the search, 17 transparent Ziploc bags with the illegal substance were unearthed in one of his pockets.

In mitigation during his court appearance, Sookra told the court that he was not finding any jobs and decided to “take a chance” since he has two children to maintain.