West Berbice mother accused of drug trafficking

A mother of two is being accused of trafficking in narcotics after police allegedly found almost 40 pounds of cannabis in a bag in her kitchen.

Nichelle Johnson, 36, of Lot 6 Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court 1 and pleaded not guilty to the charge of trafficking of narcotics.

It is alleged that on March 12, 2015, Johnson had 16.571 kilogrammes of cannabis (equivalent to 36.5328 pounds) for the purpose of trafficking in her possession.

The police’s case is that ranks, acting on information received, went to Johnson’s house and conducted a search. During the search, a bag containing the suspected cannabis was found in the kitchen area of the house. Hence, she was arrested and charged.

Johnson’s attorney, James Bond, made an application for bail to be granted in a reasonable sum. Bond said the police found the bag in the kitchen area of the woman’s premises, where she resides with other family members. He noted that the house is fully secured by CCTV cameras and upon reviewing the footage they saw someone bringing in a bag and placing it on the kitchen table.

Police Prosecutor Bharrat Mangru objected to bail and Johnson was subsequently remanded to prison. The matter was transferred to the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court for March 19.