Four men yesterday appeared in the Georgetown Magis-trates’ Court before Magis-trate Hazel Octive-Hamilton on separate charges involving cannabis at Mahdia.
Jacob Israel Bishop, also known as Jacob Israel Duncan, Dexter Weeks and Joel Hunt, and Leon Roberts, called Snowball, all pleaded not guilty to the various charges read to them and they requested bail. All the charges recorded the date and place of the incident as May 12 at 111 Mile Mahdia, Potaro.
Bishop was charged with having in his possession 2 kilogrammes and 510 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. Roberts was charged with possessing 30 grammes of cannabis also for the purpose of trafficking. Weeks and Hunt were charged jointly with the possession of 3 grammes of cannabis.
Attorney-at-law Latchmie Rahamat representing Bishop, argued at length regarding the special circumstances surrounding her client’s charge. She said her client was not the sole occupant of the house in which the drugs were found and there were three other occupants. However at the time the police entered the home he was alone and the narcotics were discovered in the bottom of a gas stove which everyone had access to. Rahamat also stated that her client has no prior convictions and no pending matter.
Weeks and Hunt were represented by Attorney-at-law Paul Fung-A-Fat who made applications for bail on their behalf. Both of his clients initially pleaded guilty. However, the magistrate told the defendants that she would have to remand them until they could come before the magistrate at Mahdia where the case was transferred. Fung-a-Fat then made an application to change their plea. In their application it was highlighted that Weeks is a father of one and that both men are in their twenties, Weeks being 25, and Hunt 22, and both of them reside at Mahdia.
Roberts was unrepresented and could not provide any special circumstances under which he should be granted bail, so he was not allowed to make an application.
Prosecutor Tracymay Gittens then asked for him to be remanded and this was granted by the magistrate.
Prosecutor Simone Payne in the case against Duncan also asked for him to be remanded on the grounds that the facts given by his attorney differed from the statement given by the investigating rank regarding the occupants of the house and whether he was the sole person or not. The magistrate then remanded him.
No objection was given to the applications for Weeks and Hunt so they were granted bail in the sum of $50,000 each.
All the matters were transferred to the Mahdia Magis-trates’ Court for July 18.
