South Ruimveldt man remanded on drug trafficking charge

“You can’t do this to me, Ma’am! I don’t want to go to jail!” were the words of a resident of Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt Park, Greater Georgetown on Monday when he was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.
Travis Pilgrim, 28, a miner of Lot 58 Aubrey Barker Road, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with the possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. The charge read that on April 23, at Port Kaituma Water Front, he had in his possession 1.814 kilograms of cannabis sativa for the purpose of trafficking.
While the details of the charge were not revealed in Court, Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers objected to bail on the grounds of the seriousness and prevalence of the offence. The accused requested an opportunity to speak in Court and claimed that he was not the owner of the drugs. Pilgrim alleged that on the day in question, he was exiting a boat when a woman who had a few children with her requested that he assist her with a bag of rice. He stated that the woman asked him to carry the bag of rice and leave it at a particular spot in the market. However when he put down the bag, a Police Officer approached him and questioned him about its contents. He said he explained that he was asked to deliver the bag to that spot by the woman, but nevertheless he was arrested. He further claimed that while in custody, he was beaten by the investigating rank and forced to sign a caution statement.
After listening to his explanation, the Chief Magistrate remanded the man to prison and transferred the matter to the Matthews Ridge Magistrate’s Court for May 3. When told that he would be remanded, Pilgrim shouted, “I never do none bad before! You can’t do this to me, Ma’am…This is my first appearance; I don’t want to go to jail.”