A miner, alleged to have been found with cocaine at the Stabroek Market, was remanded to prison on a narcotics trafficking charge on Wednesday.
Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry refused bail to Junior Gibson, 34, of 420 Republic Park, who denied the allegation that on June 3, at Stabroek Market, he had in his possession 3 ¾ grammes of cocaine.
When the matter was heard in the Georgetown Magistrates Court, Prosecutor Stephen Telford said that at around 11:35pm, police in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market observed the defendant taking a black plastic bag from the top of a shutter of a shop and throwing it onto the ground.
Telford said that the ranks approached the defendant and opened the bag in his presence and a white substance suspected to be cocaine was discovered.
The prosecutor said that after Gibson was told of the suspicion, he tried to resist arrest by cuffing and kicking at the ranks and at the same time used a series of expletives toward them. They, however, managed to arrest him.
Gibson was then taken to the police station, where the suspected cocaine was weighed in his presence.
Adrian Thompson, who appeared for Gibson, sought bail for his client, telling the court that several persons were in the area at the time but the police “picked his client out of all the people.” Thompson said Gibson was vocal in his objection when he was accosted as he did not even see when the bag was picked up.
Thompson suggested that it “might be discrimination because he [his client] is rastafarian”. He added that it is a public area and based on the evidence there was not a clear cut case, as the item was not found in Gibson’s possession.
In concluding his bail application, the lawyer said his client’s objection at the time of the arrest was substantiated as he was “picked up wrongfully” and it shows that he had no knowledge nor was in control of the substance.
After hearing the submissions, the magistrate remanded the accused to prison. His next appearance is on June 17, when the case will be called at Court 5.
