Storm Gouveia, was sentenced to three years in jail and fined $30,000 on Friday, after he was found guilty of having 1.5 grammes of cocaine in his possession, in a city court.
On April 23, Gouveia, 22, of 45 Princes Street, Lodge, pleaded guilty to a second narcotic charge.
He accepted that he had 3.25 g of cannabis, when he was held, explaining to that he was “lighting up a smoke,” as he does regularly.
Gouveia was immediately sentenced to six months of community service and fined $3,000.
The Lodge resident, according to the prosecution, was held on April 21 along Norton Street, Lodge, by police who were patrolling the area and had noticed him acting in a suspicious manner.
Police Prosecutor, Assistant Sup-erintendent Deneashwar Maindranauth said the drug was in a black bag, which the defendant had thrown to the ground, when he saw the police ranks approaching him.
However, Gouveia had maintained his innocence of the crime, when he was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
At the end of a trial, Magistrate Fabayo Azore, in whose court the matter was transferred, imposed the jail term.
Gouveia had asked for the magistrate to be lenient with him, but the penalty of the crime was stipulated by law.
