A Linden man, who said he was trafficking marijuana to in order to provide for his two young children, was yesterday sentenced to serve the next three years in jail.
Ducy Skeete, 27, pleaded guilty to having 470 grammes of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking, when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
“Your Worship, this is the first time I am doing something like this. I have two children, ages 6 and 7, and school was opening; I had to get them things to go back to school,” Skeete told the magistrate before sentencing.
“I applied for a job three months ago and I haven’t received a response. I was frustrated and I tried something, please be lenient with me,” he added.
Police Prosecutor Corporal Bharrat Mangru told the court that on September 5, at Mabaruma, the police were on patrol when they stopped motor vehicle HC 1228 and carried out a search of its occupants. Skeete, who was among them, began to act in a suspicious manner, he said, and the police then conducted a search on him and his belongings.
According to Mangru, the search unearthed a black plastic bag with leaves, stems and seeds that were later confirmed to be cannabis.
Skeete was represented by attorney Dexter Todd. However, Todd was late in attending court and by the time he arrived his client’s case was already in progress.
Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry, in explaining the sentence, told Skeete that she had taken into consideration his guilty plea, which saved court considerable time as well as the fact that he is a father of two young children.
In addition to the three year sentence, Skeete was also fined $30,000.
