$45,000 fine for drugs

Saying too many people take marijuana use and its effects lightly, Senior Magistrate Cherril-Ann Antoine fined a Palmiste man $45,000 for trafficking the drug yesterday. Leigh Young Lum Kin of Narinesingh Court, Block 1, Palmiste pleaded guilty when he appeared before Antoine yesterday.

He was arrested on December 2 after PC Dhooray of the San Fernando Police searched his home for arms and ammunition and found the drugs instead. Prosecutor Sgt Alexander told the court that Dhooray had gone to Lum Kin’s home around 12.10 pm on December 2 with a search warrant.

After reading the warrant to Lum Kin, Dhooray began his search and found 50 packets of marijuana in four jars and a block of compressed marijuana in a plastic bag hidden under a staircase in the garage.

Lum Kin, who accompanied Dhooray on the search, said, “Officer, that is my drugs and nobody else don’t know nothing about this.” On searching Lum Kin’s bedroom, Dhooray found three scales, grinders and a quantity of small plastic packets. He also found TT$18,161, US$2,011 and ten Belizean dollars.

The marijuana weighed 1,062 grammes. Attorney Frank Gittens, representing Lum Kin, told the court his client is a Taekwondo champion who won a gold medal while out on bail on Sunday.

He said Lum Kin suffers from under-employment, as he had to take “menial” jobs such as landscaping and construction jobs when he could not get employment in his field of study, which is biology, and Lum Kin tried something in the wrong direction out of frustration. Antoine then fined Lum Kin $45,000 or in default,five years in jail. The maximum fine for marijuana trafficking is $50,000. Lum Kin was ordered to pay $10,000 immediately and was given until March 1, 2018 to pay the balance.