Would-be dope dealer jailed after selling drug to cop

A scheme to make quick money by selling marijuana has landed a man in prison after he unwittingly sold the drug to a policeman.

Shawn Cummings, 33, was yesterday sentenced to three years after admitting to being in possession of 28 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

He also admitted to selling the cannabis to a plain clothes police officer on the 7th May in the vicinity of Lombard Street. In addition to the prison sentence, Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry also fined Cummings $30,000.

According to Cummings, he had no idea that the person he sold the narcotics to was a police officer.

He claimed that all he did know was that the person was interested in buying the substance.

Cummings said he needed to attend a funeral and that he would need clothes and shoes to do so.

With this is mind, the father of three asserted that he stole the cannabis from someone to sell to the officer. Cummings said that the times were hard and he felt his scheme was the easiest was to make some quick money.

He told the court that it was not something he does regularly.

Cummings also requested that he be transferred to an alternate prison facility as someone attempted to injure him while he was incarcerated. Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry assured the man that she would make note of his complaint.