A member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was on Wednesday jailed for three years after changing his plea to guilty on the charge of trafficking a large amount of marijuana.
During the proceedings before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, Edward McCalmont, 40, changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison. Represented by attorney-at-law Felicia Williams, McCalmont, of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, admitted to possession and trafficking of 316 lbs of marijuana. He claimed ignorance of marijuana’s status, telling the court, “No, I didn’t know marijuana was illegal.”
John Johnson, on the other hand, was granted bail after his lawyer, Bernard Da Silva, argued that he was neither the driver nor the owner of the vehicle in which the drugs were found. Bail was set at $350,000, with conditions requiring Johnson to report to the East La Penitence Police Station. The case has been adjourned to September 25, for further reporting and disclosure.
McCalmont and Johnson were arrested on July 27, during an intelligence-led operation by the police. Around 21.20 hours, officers from the Special Branch and other units intercepted a Route 42 minibus on Mandela Avenue in Georgetown. McCalmont, who was the driver, and Johnson, the front-seat passenger, were both in uniform. A search of the bus revealed 49 large parcels containing cannabis, weighing 316 pounds. The soldiers were subsequently charged with the offence.
