Man blames ‘hard times’ for ganja trafficking

Falling on “hard times” was Eon Sampson’s excuse for why police found him with two pounds of cannabis, which yesterday resulted in him being sentenced to three years in jail and fined $3.1 million.

Sampson was brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who read a charge to him that stated that on April 13, at Itaballi Checkpoint, he had 1,096 grammes (equivalent to 2 pounds) of cannabis in his possession for trafficking.

Sampson pleaded guilty to the crime and told the Chief Magistrate that he was sorry for the mistake he committed. Lamenting that he had fallen on “hard times,” he informed the court that he has a one-year-old son and that his wife is now four months pregnant.

According to the prosecutor’s case, Sampson was stopped at the police checkpoint and a search conducted on his bag led to the discovery of the cannabis.