Festus Hohenkirk, the Wortmanville handyman who had denied a charge of drug trafficking by claiming that he only had a “blunt,” was yesterday sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of the crime.
Hohenkirk, 42, who was charged with the possession of 15 grammes of cannabis for trafficking in August, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $30,000 by Magistrate Judy Latchman at the conclusion of his trial in a Georgetown court.
Magistrate Latchman, in reviewing the case, stated that she found the investigative officer Constable Seeram to be a credible witness and, therefore, had given weight to his testimony.
Seeram had testified that he had found a black plastic bag containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems in Hohenkirk’s pockets, which were later confirmed to be cannabis.
He had stated also that when Hohenkirk was cautioned, he had indicated that he smokes because he has problems with his bowel movement.
In addition to this, in his defence, Hohenkirk had admitted to uttering those words to the ranks and also said a black plastic bag was indeed found on him but he did not see the weight on the scale when the substance was weighed.
When he was arraigned on the charge, the defendant had told Magistrate Fabayo Azore, who was presiding at the time, that all he had was a blunt which could not amount to 15 grammes.
Magistrate Latchman declared that she was satisfied that Hohenkirk was in physical possession of 15 grammes of cannabis given the fact that the substance was found in his pocket as well as the statement he made to the officers. He was, therefore, found guilty of the charge.
