A man who police found with a quantity of cocaine and cannabis was yesterday sentenced to serve a three year prison sentence, together with a $33,000 fine and six months of community service.
Krishna Singh accepted that on December, 3 at Georgetown, he had in his possession one gramme of cannabis. On the same day also, Singh admitted that he had in hid possession one gramme of cocaine.
When given a chance to respond to the allegations, Singh told the court that on the day in question, he was walking along the road when he stumbled upon the narcotics and picked them up, not knowing what they were until after his arrest. According to Singh, he had just reached down to the ground and picked up the items mentioned in the charge when a mobile police patrol that was passing at the time stopped and enquired from him what he was doing and what he had in his possession. Singh told the court that as he was about to make his own investigation into what he had in his possession, the police were already standing close to him. They then uncovered that it was narcotics. He related to the court that he was later arrested by the ranks and charged for the offenses.
Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, before whom the man appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, informed him that the cocaine offense carried a minimum of three years imprisonment and a maximum of five years. The magistrate then asked him if he wanted to maintain his guilt or change his plea to not guilty. Singh, however, reiterated that the substances were indeed found in his possession and as a result he maintained his guilt.
Singh was later ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 and sentenced to three years imprisonment for the cocaine charge. Meanwhile, as relates to the cannabis charge, he was fined $3,000 and ordered to serve six months community service.
