A man who claimed he was “set up” after he agreed to keep almost 36 pounds of cannabis just before the police showed up to search his house, has been sentenced to three years and a half years in jail.
Steadmon Smartt was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly on Friday and he pleaded “guilty with explanation” to a charge of having 16.159 kilogrammes (equivalent to 36 pounds) of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking in his possession on August 27th at Lot 9 Princes Street, Georgetown.
“I collect it from a guy. He said he would come back for it,” Smartt told the court. “After he leave, I see the police coming. It was a set up.”
However, according to police prosecutor Sanj Singh, police ranks were informed of the narcotics at Smartt’s home. They went to the address and conducted a search and found several parcels containing seeds, leaves and stems, suspected to be cannabis, in a bedroom.
Smartt later informed that the room belonged to him. Some parcels were also found in a blue barrel in the home.
Smartt was arrested and told of the offence but at the time he neither denied nor admitted to any crimes.
The magistrate sentenced Smartt to three and a half years in jail and fined him $30,000 for the offence.
