Four persons were yesterday charged with trafficking marijuana after a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) bust at an East La Penitence house uncovered almost 2.5 kilos of the drug.
It is alleged that Quincy Boyce, 35; Alicia Smith, 32; and George Hope, 21, of East La Penitence, and Shaquille Leon, 17, of West Ruimveldt, had 2.468 kilogrammes of cannabis for trafficking in their possession on November 20, at Lot 107 Freeman Street, East La Penitence. They pleaded not guilty to the charge when they appeared before Georgetown Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
Leon was also charged separately with having 5.6 grammes of cannabis in his possession. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to the prosecution, CANU ranks, who were acting on information, saw two of the accused men acting in a suspicious manner. As the ranks approached the two men, they ran into the house, where the other two accused were present.
When the ranks entered the house to apprehend the two men who were acting suspiciously, they conducted a search, which led to them finding two separate parcels of suspected cannabis. The first parcel was found by a bedroom door and the second parcel was found under a bed.
The court heard that when the ranks questioned the four accused, they all denied any knowledge of the narcotics. They were then taken to the CANU headquarters, where the ranks swabbed their hands, which then tested positive for traces of cannabis, resulting in charges against them.
Although Leon was granted $35,000 bail on his separate charge of possession, he and his three co-accused were refused bail and remanded to prison on the drug trafficking charge. Their relatives cried bitterly as they watched them being taken away by the police.
Both matters have been adjourned to December 8.
