Guilty plea, $8000 fine for weed possession

Norrel Rogers, 28, a mini-bus conductor of Petit Bordel, was fined $8000 at the Serious Offences Court on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, after pleading guilty to possession of 17 pounds of marijuana.{{more}}

Chief Magistrate Sonya Young ordered Rogers to pay $1000 forthwith and the remainder in six months or he faces one year in prison.

The facts read in court stated that at approximately 2:40pm on April 14, Rapid Response Unit personnel were on foot patrol in Rose Bank when they saw Rogers taping a package near to some bush. When officers cautioned him, he replied: “Officer Billy, is some guys from Petit Bordel who asked me to tape the weed for them.”

The well-spoken man said that he was initially on his way to dig yams when some men approached him and said they would pay him if he taped the weed. “Everyone makes mistakes…at that time your worship: I wanted the money and I was just caught up with wrong friends at the time,” Rogers explained.

In responding to Rogers, Young said that she thinks the drug trade is based on the greed of persons who always want more than what they work for. She added that persons must learn to be content with what they have and work honestly for what they want. (KW)