Gold miner remanded for ganja in haversack

Jun 16, 2017 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

A man who police say was caught red-handed transporting two haversacks which were discovered to contain marijuana, was remanded to prison after he made an appearance before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Particulars of the charge against Junior Stephens, 31, alleged that on June 11, last, at Fifth Avenue, Bartica, he had 554 grams of marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded to prison until June 27, when he will appear before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for the matter to be assigned to another court.
According to Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves, Sergeant English who is stationed at the Bartica Police Station, was in an unmarked vehicle observing Stephens for about 15 minutes.
During that period, Prosecutor Gonsalves related, that Stephens was seen carrying two red bulky haversacks in his hands. This aroused the suspicion of the police rank, who contacted the Bartica Police Station and requested that additional ranks be sent to assist him.
The court was told while Sergeant English awaited the arrival of his colleagues, he observed the defendant stashing the haversacks which were later searched in his presence and found to contain marijuana.
During a bail application, an Attorney-at-Law for Stephens told the court that his client was at the Seventh Avenue beach waiting to board a boat. While there he said his client was conversing with a man when police ranks in a car approached him and asked him where the bags were.
The lawyer said that the police ranks demanded his client walk to Seventh Avenue beach where he was ordered to open a bag but refused.
The lawyer claimed even though Stephens was harassed to open the bag he still refused and was taken to the Bartica Police Station.
“No criminal will allow the police to come and hold them and carry them to a bag laden with drugs,” the lawyer argued. Prosecutor Gonsalves opposed bail for the defendant citing that no special reasons were provided to the court. These objections were upheld by the Magistrate.

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