Man ‘hustling’ weed to pay wife’s medical bill jailed

Sep 24, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – “The narcotics that they found in my possession were bought to save my pregnant wife life,” were the words of 30-year-old Clarence France, who was Wednesday sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to a narcotics charge.
The defendant, who claimed he is a cabbage seller, appeared virtually before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, and when the charge was read to him he pleaded guilty. The charge stated that on September 20, 2021, at Jonestown, Kwakwani, France had 536 grams of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The court heard that on the day in question, ranks were on patrol in Kwakwani, and around 23:30hrs, they went to the defendant’s home and conducted a search.
It was reported that the ranks then discovered a bulky black backpack, which contained a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis. France was cautioned and told of the allegation to which he responded, “officer this is just a small thing.”
He was then arrested and escorted to the Kwakwani Police Station, and the narcotics was lodged at the police station. He was later charged for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking and placed before the court.
In the defendant’s address to the court, he stated that the narcotics found in his possession were bought to save his wife’s life. He explained that his wife is pregnant and that she is experiencing complications, and that he needed $40,000 to cover her medical bill, but he only had $15,000 – so he resorted to selling “ganja” to make the money to cover his wife’s medical bill.
“I just take a chance to save my girl life,” the defendant added. Following the defendant’s guilty plea and explanation, Chief Magistrate McLennan, sentenced him to 18 months behind bars and ordered him to pay a fine of $80,000.