North Ruimveldt resident Ras Parris, who police say had two pounds of cannabis in his possession, was granted his release on $200,000 bail yesterday after his lawyer disputed the police’s account of the bust.
The charge, which was read by Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly, stated that on March 29th, at 3729 North Ruimveldt, Parris had 908 grammes of cannabis (equivalent to two pounds) in his possession for trafficking.
The father of two entered a not guilty plea.
The prosecution stated that a raid was conducted on the home of the accused and two black bags, containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems, were found among ornaments in a tub in the kitchen.
It was also alleged that a search at the back of the home uncovered two other bags containing leaves, seeds and stems.
The police’s account was, however, disputed by attorney Mark Waldron, who represented Parris. The attorney stated that his client was present during the search with other occupants of the home and nothing was found. He noted that while a search was being conducted by officers in Parris’ home, other ranks claimed that a bag was found in a nearby alleyway that runs parallel to homes in the area. The attorney said that if it were the case that there were two separate finds, there should have been two separate charges.
When asked by the magistrate what was the amount of cannabis found in the defendant’s home and what was the amount found in the alleyway, the prosecutor reported that it was not stated in the case file.
As a result, Magistrate Daly later granted the accused $200,000 bail with the condition that he report to the East La Penitence Police Station every Monday to the subordinate officer-in-charge.
The case was adjourned until April 21st.
