Man charged $10,000 for 4000 grams of cannabis

The time is swiftly approaching for Grenadian, Reyon Westfield, an Ital Vendor of Campden Park to come up with $10,000 if he does not want to go to prison for six months.

Chief Magistrate Simone Churaman found Westfield guilty on Tuesday at the Serious Offences Court for having 4,000 grams of cannabis in his possession on September 23, 2006. Magistrate Churaman gave Westfield three months in which the fine is to be paid in full.{{more}}

The court heard that at about 12.10p.m personnel from the Rapid Response Unit along with the Narcotics squad were on a joint operation in the Campden Park Mountains when they saw the defendant walking towards them with a black plastic bag in his hand. It was said that when one of the officers shouted “police” Westfield dropped the bag and started running in the opposite direction.

He was subsequently caught and the bag was retrieved. It was said to have contained plant like material as that of cannabis. The defendant was then cautioned and replied, “Officer ah na mine, you na get it from me.”

Relating to the court his version of what transpired, the 32 year-old Westfield who said he has been living here for the past two years, said he had been to Carib Mountain in Campden Park to collect some fruit. Westfield said he was carrying a back pack and a cutlass at the time. He said that he picked some oranges and “chilled” a while before making his sojourn back home. Westfield recalled while on his way down, two officers coming in the opposite direction passed him but did not say anything to him.

Westfield further mentioned that a little further along, he saw two vehicles. “When I was passing the vehicle, one ah de officer stop me and ask what I doing in this area.” Westfield said he told the officers, “I come into the garden to get some fruits.”

The defendant said when the officers heard his accent they started beating him on his knuckles. He said that the same officers that passed him earlier brought a black bag and dropped it at his feet and asked who else was with him. “I told the officer I was on my own and then he slapped me and told me I lie,” said Westfield. He told the Magistrate that he has been in prison for four months and that he does not know how his young son is doing, “I have a yute man to support and I doan no how he mekin it,” he said.