Six Lindeners granted bail for ganja found on roof

Dec 08, 2015 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

After raiding a sports complex in Linden and finding marijuana on the roof, police ranks arrested and charged six persons for narcotics trafficking.

From L: Neville Bastiani, Ronald Reid and Wesley Hercules

Yesterday, the alleged traffickers were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Wesley Hercules, 54, of 119 Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden; Willitta Bess, 36, of Lot 798 One Mile Wismar, Linden; Trevor Elcock, 30, of Linden; Ronald Reid, 35, of Lot 3 Constabulary Compound, Linden; Neville Bastiani, 39, of Lot 656 Block 22 Wismar Linden and Shemrock Peters, 24, also of One Mile, Linden, all denied having 58 grams of cannabis sativa (marijuana) in their possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The court heard that they were busted with the illicit drug on December 5, at Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden. Bail was granted in the tune of $20,000 for each defendant.
Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the narcotics were found on the roof of the sports complex. The defendants, he said, were in the building at the time it was searched by the police. Jones stated that as a result, they were all arrested and charged.
Attorney Clyde Forde made a bail application on behalf of Reid. The lawyer requested that his client be released on reasonable bail because the drug was not found in his possession. Forde explained that on the day in question, the defendants were playing dominoes at the sports complex, when the police arrived and searched the edifice.
Forde stated that at the time of the raid there were several other people in the building. He related that police ranks climbed onto the roof and found the alleged narcotic. According to the lawyer, the lawmen were unable to ascertain who owned the drug and arrested everyone.
The Prosecutor informed the court they were no antecedents listed for the defendants. Hercules, a taxi driver; Bess, a vendor; Elcock, a labourer; Reid a porkknocker; Bastiani, a hire car driver and Peters, a sawmill operator will return to court on December 30, at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.