A 23-year-old man who was nabbed with a quantity of cannabis sativa earlier this week has been sentenced to three years in jail and fined $262,000.
Corwayne Gomes of Grant Opposition, Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, and pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that, on April 4, he had 438 grams of marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
On the day in question, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks were conducting an operation at Charity Stelling when Gomes was spotted carrying a plastic bag. A CANU rank requested permission to search the bag, and that resulted in the discovery of the cannabis in the form of a red, brick-like parcel. Gomes was arrested and escorted to the CANU Essequibo location, where the cannabis was weighed and amounted to 438 grams.
Meanwhile, in a separate matter at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, a 51-year-old man of Zeelugt New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) was remanded to prison on a similar charge.
Before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul, Pradesh Hardwar denied the charge which alleged that, on April 4, he had 13.4 kilograms of marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking. His matter has been adjourned until May 16.
It was reported that on April 4, CANU officers intercepted motor vehicle HB 5990 at Zeelugt New Housing Scheme, EBE. A search subsequently conducted on this vehicle in the presence of the occupant, Hardwar, led to the discovery of 12 brick-like parcels suspected to be cannabis.
Hardwar was arrested and escorted to CANU Headquarters along with the suspected narcotic, which later tested positive for cannabis. The drug has an estimated street value of $5M.