Joel Halley, charged in February with having 12 grammes of cannabis as a “hustle to make a living,” was on Tuesday sentenced to three years in jail for the crime.
Halley, 23, was found guilty by Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Five. He had denied the charge that he had the marijuana in his possession.
According to the police’s case, on February 3, at about 2pm, a party of police ranks from the Narcotics Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) went to the defendant’s home to search for suspected narcotics. On arrival at the man’s 113 Hunter Street, La Penitence home, the door was already open and a rank observed a container on a bed. The defendant and two other men were sitting.
The container was opened in Halley’s presence and several packs of Ziploc bags, containing leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis, were revealed. Halley was shown the contents and cautioned and he allegedly told the police officers that he would normally “hustle to make a living.” He was arrested and subsequent investigations led to his charge.
In addition to the three-year sentence, Halley was fined $10,000.
