A Camp Street Prison inmate was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
Michael Robertson, who is serving a two-year sentence for escaping from lawful custody, said that he found the cannabis in a black plastic bag in the prison compound. He said he was urinating at the fence at the time of the discovery. Police Corporal Venetta Pindar said that Robertson was seen acting suspiciously and was searched by prison officials, who found the illegal substance concealed in his crotch. However, when given a chance to speak, the unrepresented Robertson told the court that he had gone to urinate at the prison compound’s fence to urinate, when he spotted the black plastic bag in the drain.
He said just as he retrieved the bag, a prison officer approached him and ordered that he go into the prison’s administrative office with it. The illegal substance was then discovered.
Robertson stressed that he never leaves the compound and was not involved in conducting any business. He, however, accepted the charge and begged for lenience. He was afterward sentenced to the additional prison term and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.
