St Lucian gets three years in prison for drug possession

A St Lucian national was, on Wednesday at the Serious Offences Court, sentenced to three years in jail, following conviction on drug possession.{{more}}

Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias found Thaddeus Cox, 24, guilty of possession of 424 pounds of marijuana on June 29, 2014, at the McKie mountains in Richmond.

During the trial, Police Constable 394 Gibson McDowall told the court that he was among a party of Rapid Response Unit (RRU) personnel that went on mountain patrol at about 7:10 a.m.

On reaching the McKie mountains, McDowall said he saw Cox standing in a hut. He said he kept Cox under observation for about five minutes, before approaching him.

As the police officers approached, McDowall said Cox began to run and was chased by other officers in the party. He however, remained at the hut for security purposes.

After Cox was apprehended and brought back to the hut, McDowall said 10 nylon sacks filled with 30 taped packages of marijuana were found.

When cautioned, Cox said he had no knowledge of the drugs.

Corporal Nolan “Grandpa” Dallaway, also in his evidence, told the court that had to chase the defendant after he apparently became aware of their presence.

In his testimony, Cox said that he ran when he saw the presence of the police officers. He further stated that the officers did not find the drugs in the hut he was in, but found them in another hut they had searched.

“Almighty is alive. He can see what is going on. What goes around must come around,” the 24-year-old Dennery, St Lucia resident said after concluding his testimony.(KW)