Mother of 4 charged for ganja trafficking

A mother of four, who told the court she trafficked a quantity of marijuana to provide for her four children, has been remanded to prison pending sentencing.

Charged: Anitha Qualis

Thirty-five-year-old Anitha Qualis of Lot 1856 New Amsterdam, Berbice, appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert via Zoom at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Qualis admitted that on September 19 at Karrau, Essequibo River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), she had in her possession 503 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
In a plea of mitigation she told the court, “I accepted the weed, I am a mother of four, and my children’s father left for the interior, and I never heard from him again. I decided to try a thing to provide for my children.”
The prosecution’s case stated that at 14:30h on September 19, ranks were on mobile patrol duty at Karrau, Essequibo River, when they observed the woman acting in a suspicious manner. The woman was questioned and she handed over a black compressed parcel containing a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis, which was hidden underneath her clothing. She was arrested and taken to the Bartica Police Station.
The Magistrate, after listening to the woman’s plea of mitigation and the prosecution’s case, remanded her to prison. She will be sentenced on October 7, 2020. (G1)