(Trinidad Express) A Guyanese construction worker charged with trafficking in drugs at Piarco International Airport has escaped with a fine, but still ended up in jail.

Michael Antonio Gittens was slapped with a TT$6,000 fine by Arima Senior Magistrate Deborah Quintyne, after he pleaded guilty before her.

Prosecutor Acting Sergeant Niam Gyan told the court that Gittens, 28, a father of three, of Pearl East Bank, Demerara, Guyana, was arrested around 8.45 a.m. on February 3 by officers attached to the Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB).

At the time of his arrest, Gittens, a carpenter/mason who is employed with JUSAMCO to resurface Piarco International Airport’s new landing strip, had returned from Guyana.

In a pouch which he held around his neck, Gittens had 0.6 grammes of marijuana which he failed to declare.

Gittens was fined TT$2,000 forthwith on each of the three charges of possession of marijuana, importing a prohibited good and making a false declaration, in default of which he must serve four months hard labour.

The Guyanese national opted to go to prison as he did not have the TT$6,000 to pay to the Arima court forthwith.