A Port Kaituma businessman is now a remanded prisoner after police said that they allegedly found a quantity of cannabis concealed in speaker boxes at his home. Clarence Kingston, 38, of Port Kaituma, North West District, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that he had 1.134 kilogrammes of cannabis in his possession for trafficking on May 31st.
The charge was read on Monday by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court 1.Prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the court that a police patrol, which was in the area, received information which led them to Kingston’s home, where a search uncovered the cannabis in some speaker boxes. The prosecutor said Kingston admitted in a caution statement to having knowledge of the illegal drug.
Attorney Dexter Todd, in a request for reasonable bail, said the speaker boxes in which the cannabis was found would usually be rented out and they had just been returned to Kingston’s residence when the find was made. The attorney noted that his client had no knowledge of the drug and was shocked at the discovery. Todd told the court that Kingston is well known in the community by villagers and the police, who would often spend time at his shop. He said too that Kingston, a father of four, was never previously charged and has an unblemished record. Prosecutor Mangru objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the offence and the need for a special reason to be advanced. The prosecutor’s objection was upheld and Kingston was remanded to prison. He was ordered to return to court on July 27th.
