Lorenzo Lamazon, 22, of 28 First Street Craig East Bank Demerara was yesterday remanded to prison on a charge of having a quantity of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Lamazon pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when it was read to him by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The allegation is that on August 25, at Georgetown, he had in his possession 60 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
Attorney Adrian Thompson, who represented Lamazon, told the court that the charges were baselessly trumped up. He said that on the day in question, Lamazon was standing on Bent Street, speaking on his cellular phone, when he was accosted by a police officer who subsequently escorted him to the Brickdam Police Station. Once there, Thompson said the police officer accused Lamazon of having the illegal substance in his possession. The lawyer said, however, that at no time did his client have the narcotic in his possession.
“The police just suddenly accused my client of having cannabis in his possession, just like that!” he said.
Thompson then made an application that his client be admitted to reasonable bail on the grounds that he had no previous convictions. In support of Lamazon being granted bail, Thompson also told the court that the defendant is of ill health and that prison would not be the best place for him.
Prosecutor Kibwe Griffith, however, objected to the bail application on the grounds that Lamazon could only possibly have been granted bail if there were special circumstances.
Advancing medical ailments as a reason for the accused to be granted bail was not a special circumstance, the prosecutor stressed. Lamazon was later remanded to prison and ordered to return to court on October 13.
