Young labourer gets three years for ganja possession

One of two men found with almost half a kilo of cannabis was yesterday sentenced to serve three years in jail after he admitted that the drug was his.

John Moore, 21, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of narcotics for trafficking when he appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Moore, a labourer, was jointly charged with the crime along with Hendrik Pelswijk, 30, a driver.

 John Moore
John Moore
Hendrik Pelswijk
Hendrik Pelswijk

The court was told that both men were found with 420 grammes of cannabis in their possession on July 2nd, 2015, in Georgetown.

While Moore pleaded guilty, Pelswijk pleaded not guilty

According to the prosecution’s case, police were patrolling the Agricola area when they noticed a minibus, BPP 5585, on the road and subsequently stopped it. The police noticed that Moore and Pelswijk were acting suspiciously and proceeded to search them and the bus and they found the cannabis in the glove compartment of the vehicle. The two men were arrested and charged as a result.

Magistrate McLennan sentenced Moore and fined him $567,000.

The prosecution objected to bail for Pelswijk, given the penalty the charge attracts, which includes a minimum three-year prison sentence. Pelswijk was subsequently placed on $175,000 bail. His next court date is July 7th.