A Jamaican businessman was yesterday remanded to prison after being charged with possession of marijuana for trafficking.
Jerwayne Salmon, 46, and a father of eight, was yesterday brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to two charges.
It was alleged that on Saturday, March 21, 2020, at Itaballi Landing, Mazaruni River, Salmon had 456.6 grammes of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
According to the police prosecutor, police on patrol at Itaballi Landing, Mazaruni River, observed Salmon with a white plastic bag in his hands. A search was conducted and uncovered three transparent zip lock bags with leaves, stems and seeds, suspected to be cannabis, in the white plastic bag.
Salmon was told of the suspicion and taken to the Bartica Police Station, where the leaves, stems and seeds were weighed. They amounted to 456.6 grammes of cannabis.
Salmon pleaded “guilty with explanation” to the charge. He told the court that he was in the vicinity of Itaballi landing, where an officer approached him and requested to be sold ganja. He said he then responded by saying “the owner for the shop” was not present and he alleged that the officer then walked off and returned with a bag of ganja and placed it in his (Salmon’s) hands before taking him over to the other officers present on the scene and at the same time., demanding to know where his friend hides his cannabis.
Upon hearing Salmon’s explanation, the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Salmon was also charged with overstaying in Guyana.
It was alleged that on June 21, 2019, Salmon arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, and he was granted a six-month-long stay that would expire on December 21, 2019. Following Salmon’s arrest at Itaballi Landing, Mazaruni River, checks were made at the Department of Citizenship and it was found that he at no time applied for an extension of his stay.
To this Salmon also pleaded “guilty with explanation.” He then explained that his former boss with whom he worked as an excavator operator had outstanding money for him that he needed, and asked him to wait until January. During that wait, Salmon told the court, he was bitten by a snake and it took him over a month to recover. He added that in his attempt to apply for an extension of time, his passport expired, causing him to remain stranded in Guyana.
On his final attempt to leave Guyana and enter Suriname, the borders were closed, causing yet another delay. During the wait, he said, he decided to sell cologne in the interior to pass time.
Magistrate McLennan, dismissed the overstaying charge but remanded Salmon on the narcotics charge. He is to make his next appearance on April 16, 2020, at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court, where his trial is to be held.
