After being busted with a total of 451 grammes of cocaine at her Essequibo home on Thursday, the accused, Brenda Charles was yesterday brought before the courts to answer to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, and was sentenced to four years behind bars after pleading guilty.
The 40-year-old Charles, also called ‘Shameena’, a housewife of Lot 10 Bounty Hall, Essequibo Coast, made her appearance at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Crystal Lambert who read the charge to her. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined a total of $1,353,000.
According to police in Regional Division #2, ranks acting on information received, went to the home of Charles at about 17.25 hours where they spoke with her and made a request to search her home, to which she agreed.
After agreeing to the request, Charles, without hesitation, and went straight to her sofa where she extracted a ceramic plate containing a quantity of whitish, cubed, rocklike substance suspected to be cocaine and handed it over to the ranks. The woman then also picked up a black plastic bag containing another transparent plastic bag which contained 39 pieces of whitish rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine which she also handed over.
As a result, Charles was told of the offence committed and under caution admitted ownership of the drugs by telling the police, “Sir is me own, ah buy it from a man.” She was then arrested and taken to the Anna Regina Police Station along with the narcotics.
At the station, the narcotics were weighed separately in the presence of the accused with the first quantity amounted to 26.5 grammes, and the other, 424.5 grammes, for a total weight of 451 grammes.
