Man in Princes Town court charged with having ganja

A Princes Town magistrate fined a man $2,500 for having 30 grammes of marijuana.

Arkeem Hernandez of San Fernando was given two months to pay, failing which he will serve four months with hard labour in jail.

PC Ramjohn of the Princes Town Municipal Police Station arrested him on Wednesday at around 8. 20 am. A police report said Ramjohn was on foot patrol along Buen Intento Road, where he observed two men offloading goods and behaving "suspiciously" on spotting the police.

PC Ramjohn saw one walk away, and the other returned to the vehicle.

PC Ramjohn approached the vehicle and identified himself. Two people were in the vehicle, the driver, Hernandez, and the front-seat passenger of Cushe Village in Rio Claro.

There was also a quantity of agricultural goods on the back seat. The policeman enquired who owned the items, and the driver claimed ownership.

He also enquired about the memorandum of sale, to which the driver replied, "Boss ah don't have that."

Ramjohn told the driver of the offence of failing to have a memorandum of sale for the agricultural produce he was carrying.

Ramjohn searched the vehicle and found a black plastic bag containing marijuana. He arrested Hernandez.

Ramjohn tried to arrest the passenger, who began running. PC Ramjohn, with the assistance of other officers, chased the man. However, they did not catch up with him.

Hernandez was then taken to the municipal police station, where he was charged with failing to have a memorandum of sale on him or his vehicle and for having the marijuana.

The case for failing to have a memorandum of sale was adjourned to Friday.

Warrants were set to be taken out for the passenger to be arrested and charged.