Two men were yesterday remanded to prison after they were each accused of being found with marijuana in the interior.
Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry denied bail to Wade Mentor and Ocie Phillips, who appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to separate charges of possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
The two men pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court heard that Mentor, a miner of Lot 4 Rainbow City, allegedly had in his possession 460 grammes of cannabis, while Phillips, of Mahdia, allegedly had in his possession 231 grammes of cannabis.
It is the prosecution’s case that on September 18, 2014, at around 3.50 pm, police on a routine stop and search went to the Mabura Hill Top, where they saw Mentor riding a bike. They stopped him and a search of his person uncovered nothing. However, a search of a blue shopping bag that was allegedly in his possession led to the discovery of the cannabis, which amounted to 460 grammes. Mentor was subsequently arrested.
Meanwhile, the police contend that on September 20, 2014, at Jumbie Backdam, Mahdia, ranks on a mobile patrol went to Phillips’ camp, where he was asked to point out which hammock he was sleeping in. Upon conducting a search of the hammock, some 231 grammes of cannabis were discovered.
Prosecutor Michael Grant strongly objected to bail in each case on the grounds that no special reason was given to the court. Bail was refused in both instances. Mentor’s case was transferred to the Mabura Magistrate’s Court for October 14, while Phillips’ case was transferred to the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court for October 20.
