Youth to do community service, pay $3,000 fine for ganja possession

A young man who admitted having five grams of cannabis in his possession at Potaro Road in the hinterland was yesterday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court committed to six weeks of community service and fined $3,000 by Magistrate Allan Wilson.

Eighteen-year-old Leon Arthur admitted to the charge  that on April 5 at Three Mile, Potaro Road, he  had in his possession five grams of cannabis.

Police Sergeant Gordon Mansfield, prosecuting, said that on the day in question ranks from the Mahdia Police Station were on patrol when they stopped a minibus along the Potaro Road and conducted a search of the vehicle and its passengers.

Arthur was a passenger in the minibus and while he was being  searched a black plastic bag containing a quantity of leaves and stems suspected to be cannabis was found.

The allegations were put to the accused and he admitted to them and was arrested and later charged with the offence.
Arthur said that he had been a miner for two and a half years and he smokes the substance sometimes.

He also said that this is his second charge, recalling that  his first was for fighting but the case never went before the courts because the Virtual Complainant had asked for the matter to be dropped.

Arthur was reprimanded by the magistrate and told to get his life in order, and hopefully the community service would  get the substance out of his system.