A minibus driver who plies the Georgetown-Mahdia route was on Monday remanded to prison by Magistrate Clive Nurse for being in possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
The charge against the defendant, Roger Smith, of 51 Bagotville, West Bank Demerara is that he had in his possession 420 grams of cannabis on September 3, 2017. Prosecution facts on the case indicate that the defendant was the driver of the vehicle where the prohibited drug was found after he was ordered to drive to the Mackenzie Police Station in Linden. The facts also indicated that the defendant was responsible for packing the said minibus.
His Attorney, Yohance Welcome, however, argued that the defendant, who is a father of 5, had no knowledge of the prohibited drug. The lawyer noted that the drug was not found in the front seat of the vehicle and there were five passengers in the minibus at the time, who were all seated in close proximity to the drug. In an application for bail, Welcome noted that Smith had no pending matters before the court and was the sole breadwinner of his family. The prosecution, however, objected to bail owing to the serious nature and prevalence of the offence. Bail was denied by Magistrate Nurse who remanded the defendant to prison. (Utamu Belle)
