Ossie McFarlene, who had 28 pounds of marijuana in his car when he drove through a police roadblock at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice, was last week sentenced to four years in prison and fined $19.51 million after he was found guilty of having the illegal drug in his possession for trafficking.
The 35-year-old Hopetown, West Coast Berbice resident had the custodial sentence imposed by Magistrate Rhondel Weaver following a trial at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court.
Police prosecutor Inspector Althea Solomon told the court that at about 11:05pm on September 29, the police were conducting random searches at a roadblock in the vicinity of the Fort Wellington Police Station when McFarlene, a driver, approached in a silver gray 212 car.
He refused to stop and instead drove through the roadblock forcing the police to take evasive action.
However, the policemen quickly boarded a nearby vehicle and pursued the driver and intercepted him at Plantation Hope, West Coast Berbice. Subsequently, a search of the vehicle was done and in the trunk a multi-coloured bag containing eight taped packets with compressed marijuana inside, was discovered. McFarlene was told of the offence, arrested and charged. The drug was weighed and subsequently analysed.
In his defence, McFarlene told the court that he did not drive away from the police. He claimed that he did not have any knowledge of the illegal drugs in his car. According to him, he had stopped at the corner of the road because the passenger had gone into the bushes to relieve himself.
However, Solomon urged the court not to believe the man’s “nancy story.” She questioned why the mysterious passenger did not testify in his favour.
Further, the prosecutor observed that no description of the mysterious messenger was ever given, nor did the defendant say who was the passenger or where he was picked up.
After listening to the prosecution and the defence led by attorney Mursulene Bacchus and Perry Gossai, the magistrate found McFarlene guilty and sentenced him to four years in jail and imposed the fine, which is three times the value of the illegal drug.
