Moruca businessman charged over cannabis allegedly found in shop

A Moruca businessman, charged for the possession of narcotics, was granted bail on Friday by a city court.

Dwayne Changa was granted $90,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty to a charge which alleged that on January 22, at Kumaka, North West District, he had in his possession 191.1 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

In Changa’s defence, attorney Dave DaSilva said that on the date in question, Changa, upon returning from delivering groceries to his sister who lived five minutes away, was greeted by three policemen at his shop entrance, one of whom he had left to supervise the shop.

They told him that they found a package, which allegedly contained the suspected cannabis, at the left hand corner of the shop’s entrance. Changa denied the allegation and was then searched by the officers but no narcotics were found on his person. He was subsequently arrested.

DaSilva also said that anybody could have placed the package in the shop, since the door was wide open and the shop is located at the roadside.

Prosecutor Adduni Inniss had no objections to bail and acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus, granted bail on the condition that Changa report to the Acquero Police Station every Friday.

The matter was adjourned until April 1, 2019.