Javid Safee, who was caught carrying over five pounds of marijuana after the strong smell of the narcotic tipped off the policeman sitting next to him in a minibus, was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail for drug trafficking.
Safee, a mason, was sentenced by Magistrate Annette Singh at the conclusion of his trial for the charge that on March 16, he had 2.5 kilogrammes (5.5 pounds) of cannabis in his possession for trafficking.
The court had previously heard that a police constable joined a Route 42 bus at Madewini, East Bank Demerara en route to Georgetown and took a seat next to Safee. He noticed that the defendant had a bulky haversack in his possession, from which a strong odour was emanating, similar to that of marijuana.
When the bus arrived at the park in Georgetown, both Safee and the constable disembarked. The police constable alerted a sergeant, who was conducting traffic exercises at the time, of his suspicions, resulting in Safee being searched.
During the search, the marijuana was found.
At the conclusion of the trial yesterday, Magistrate Singh found Safee guilty of the offence based on the evidence presented by the prosecution. Safee was subsequently sentenced to three years in jail and fined $30,000.
