Moruga man fined $46k for marijuana

A MORUGA MAN has been fined $46,000 for possession of 284 grammes of marijuana and placed on a bond for resisting arrest and using obscene language.

Nigel Alexander, 34, was given one year to pay the fine or serve six months in prison in default. Additionally, he was placed on two bonds to keep the peace – $500 and $100 – for the other charges, with a penalty of seven days' simple imprisonment if breached.

Master Rhea Libert sentenced Alexander on January 20. Alexander was arrested on January 17 at around 3.40 a.m. by PC Dayne Horsford on L’Anse Mitan Road, Moruga.

Police responded to a report of a man being seen at a property on L’Anse Mitan Road.

When approached, he ran into nearby bushes but was later confronted by officers. Upon attempting a search under the emergency powers regulations, Alexander resisted, cursed, and declared, “I’m not taking no (expletive) lock up.”

After being subdued, officers found two bags of marijuana in his pockets. The drugs were weighed at the Moruga Police Station, and Alexander was formally charged on January 19.

During sentencing, Libert acknowledged Alexander's remorse but noted his previous conviction in 2019, where he was fined $1,500 for a separate offence. She noted he was now in a different position having benefitted as a first-time offender before and that the drugs he had far exceeded the 30 grammes allowed for personal use under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act.

Libert said the maximum penalty for such a quantum was $250,000 or five years in prison but determined this case did not warrant the maximum punishment.

Without deductions, the fine for possession would have been $70,000. However, Alexander received a one-third discount for his guilty plea, reducing the fine to $43,000. A further $1,000 was deducted for the three days he spent in custody after his attorney Jason Jackson expressed concern with the master’s original position to have it deducted from his default sentence.

Alexander’s final sentence was $46,000, payable within 12 months, with the option to apply for an extension if needed. Failure to pay would result in six months' imprisonment. Libert also admonished Alexander for resisting arrest and using obscene language, urging him to act more responsibly as an adult.

The marijuana was ordered to be destroyed. Krysan Rambert also appeared for Alexander.