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Berbice mother remanded on drug trafficking charge
Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry ordered that a mother of two be remanded to prison, after
Nichelle Johnson
she was allegedly found with a quantity of marijuana at her Berbice residence.
Nichelle Johnson, 36, of Lot 6 Number Five Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), denied the charge which stated that on March 5, she had in her possession 16.57KG of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
The Prosecutor, Bharrat Mangru, stated that the police, acting on information, went to the home of the defendant and contacted her. They conducted a search in her kitchen, where a bag containing the drug was found. The police told both the defendant and her daughter of the offence. But the defendant told the police that the bag was given to her.
Hence, Johnson was arrested and charged with the offence.
Her Attorney, James Bond, strongly contested for his client to be released on bail, since the prosecution cannot prove that Johnson had knowledge of what was concealed inside the bag. Bond advanced special reasons; he argued that the police found the bag in the kitchen area of the premises occupied by his client and other family members.
He said that his client’s premises is secured by CCTV cameras and that the police, on reviewing the footage, saw someone (not his client) bringing the bag and placing it in the kitchen.
Counsel further informed the court that someone had dropped off the bag at his client’s house and she did not check to see what was concealed inside the bag.
The Prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that Johnson had control of the bag since it was given to her. He said that the court should not take counsel’s special reasons into consideration because they are not substantial.
The Magistrate declined counsel’s bail application and remanded Johnson to prison.
Johnson will make her next court appearance on March 17, at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court.
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