Gasparillo driver, Tabaquite passenger jointly charged with having ganja

Two male occupants of a car held by Freeport Highway Patrol Unit police faced a Couva magistrate on Thursday, charged with traffic offences and for having marijuana.

Keron Willamson, 36, and Peter Franklyn, 50, and pleaded guilty to the offences and magistrate Alexander Prince fined them a total of $15,000.

Willamson, 36, of Charles Street in Gasparillo, was charged with driving without a driver’s licence and an insurance certificate and having the marijuana.

The magistrate fined Williamson $500 for driving without a licence and $2,500 for driving without the insurance certificate. If he fails to pay the fine, he will serve two months in jail with hard labour.

On the marijuana charge, the magistrate fined him $8,000, or in default, 24 months' jail with hard labour. He has three months to pay.

Franklyn, of Tabaquite, was charged only with having the marijuana. The magistrate fined him $4,000 with three months to pay or, in default, 12 months in jail with hard labour.

The police arrested the two at the Preysal overpass around 11.25 am during a traffic exercise on Wednesday.

They intercepted the car driven by Williamson, who could not show them any valid driving documents. Theye searched the car and found 500 grammes of marijuana.

PC Mahase laid the charges.

The exercise was co-ordinated by Insp Harrylal and supervised by Cpls Richardson and Mohammed. It also included PCs Thompson, Henry, Ramdass, Chadee, Mahase, Madhoo, Weekes, and WPC Trim, all of the Freeport Highway Patrol Unit.