Taxi driver gets 3 years, fined $1.7M for narcotics trafficking

A 36-year-old taxi driver was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of $1.7 million when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for trafficking over eight pounds of cannabis.
Sherwin Edwards Clarke was found guilty of the charge which stated that on February 11, 2019, at Garnett Street, Kitty, he trafficked 3.86 kilograms of cannabis.
Police evidence was led by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Narissa Leander. Magistrate McLennan in her ruling explained that Clarke, who was unrepresented, opted to change his plea and confess to the charge while leading his own defence.
However, she informed him that it was too late in the trial for him to change his plea.
According to the Chief Magistrate, the prosecution proved that Clarke had knowledge and was in control of the drug on the day in question.
The taxi driver told the court that he has learnt from his mistake and in the future will check his passengers’ luggage before placing them in his car.
After being found guilty, Clarke said: “I’m thankful for all the lies that witnesses told and this hurt my family and my unborn child”.
Reports are that Clarke, on the day in question, was the lone occupant of his car when he was stopped and searched by CANU ranks at Garnet Street, Kitty, when the illegal drugs were discovered in his car.