Two men were on Wednes-day placed before the Lethem Magistrate’s Court on narcotics charges with one being sentenced to three years imprisonment and the other fined.
The police stated that the two men, 21-year-old Shem Winter of Tabatinga, Central Rupununi, and Lester George, 29 of Achi-wiub Village, South Rupu-nuni, were both arrested last Saturday. The charge against Winter alleged that he on November 27 was in possession of 16 grammes of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking while the charge against George alleged that he was in possession of 5 grammes of cannabis. The charges were read to them by Magistrate Allan Wilson at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court.
According to reports, on the date in question, police on patrol duties, acting on information intercepted a motorcar PRR 4548, with three occupants, the driver and the two named men, proceeding along the Tabatinga access road.
Ranks carried out a search on the two men and found two ziploc bags in George’s pocket which contained a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis. While searching Winter, the officers found a bulky transparent plastic bag in his crotch containing the same. The police stated that both men at the time of being cautioned of the offence related that it was theirs.
During the court hearing, Winter pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined $10,000. Meanwhile George who also pleaded guilty to his charge was fined $5,000 and ordered to do three months of community service.
