‘Marijuana plants grown for asthma’

An attempt to “trick” a court has left a 21-year-old pondering his actions for the next two nights at HMP Dodds.

When Shamario Simeon Odle, of Block 4B Deacons Road, St Michael enter the dock of the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this afternoon he wasted little time in confessing to having possession, possession with intent to supply, possession with intent to traffic and cultivating 66 grammes of marijuana.

What he was not honest about when asked by Magistrate Douglas Frederick was whether he had been before the law courts before.

Odle said he had “never been” to court but a search showed that he was previously reprimanded and discharged for a similar offence before the same magistrate.

“I don’t remember sir. I ain’t trying to trick you. It must be me. I am sorry sir, I am very sorry sir,” Odle said after the magistrate questioned whether he was trying to trick the court.

“You have to understand that you must come clean. You could have told me straight that you were charged before but you are standing here trying to tell me lies, trying to trick me. There is a paper trail,” Frederick said as he remanded Odle to HMP until August 14 for sentencing.

With regards to the drug offences, Sergeant Robert Jones told the court that police executed a search warrant at Odle’s residence on August 11. While searching the backyard a wheelbarrow containing six plants attached to the soil was found “looking nice and green”. Another plant was also found in a makeshift doghouse. When asked to account for the illegal substance Odle told lawmen that he had them to “boil” to use for his asthma. The plants had an estimated $330 street value.

However, he told Magistrate Frederick today, “During the Covid-19, I get laid off from work, doing labour work.”

“So you decide to go into drugs?” the magistrate asked.

Odle replied, “You could say so. I find some seeds in a Ziploc and plant them.”

The magistrate further queried whether he could not have done something legal to earn money such as planting pumpkins.

“I ain’t got enough land for that,” Odle answered to which the magistrate queried, “But you got enough land for drugs?”

“No sir,” was Odle’s reply. “My mother told me to get rid of them.”

He was told since he knew he was doing something illegal and had taken the risk then he must be prepared to deal with the consequences.

“I am sorry sir. I was thinking I would get a bond or something or community service or something,” Odle said.