Man to pay $11,000 for ganja

Even though Junior “Zeco” Pompey has already wiped $2,000 off his debt, he has until September to come up with another $9,000 to avoid going to prison for 10 months.{{more}}

Chief Magistrate Sonya Young fined the 21-year-old Hadley Village resident $11,000 after he pleaded guilty on Tuesday, March 10th, at the Serious Offences Court for having 7,834 grams (17.5 pounds) of cannabis in his possession on January 16, 2009, at Lauders. Pompey paid $2,000 forthwith.

Magistrate Young accused the defendant of lying to the court when he said that he found the drugs on a beach and was going to make a “hustle” with it. “How come I don’t find drugs when I go to the beach and I go there all the time? Drugs are not just sitting around in St Vincent to be found,” Young said.

The court heard that around 4 :40 pm, Rapid Response Unit personnel were on mobile patrol in Lauders when they spotted a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. The officers stopped the vehicle and requested a search. The vehicle had two other occupants at the time.

The defendant, who was seated at the back of the car, had a white nylon sack between his legs. The sack was searched and four taped packages – three black and one brown – containing cannabis were found. The other occupants of the vehicle told police officers that it was Pompey who brought the sack into the car. Pompey had denied this.

The two other occupants, Sannick Pompey and Donny James were also charged but their charges were dismissed after they both pleaded not guilty.

Legal Counsel for Junior Pompey Samantha Robertson said that her client should be given credit for his guilty plea and that it was only a small amount of marijuana. Robertson asked the Magistrate to impose a fine on her client with time to pay. (KW)