Crown makes submission for ‘drug money’ to be confiscated

The Crown on Tuesday made a case for almost $10,000 in marijuana sales to be confiscated as a case against a St. James man continued before the High Court..

Jabari Jaleel Kirton returned to court after entering a guilty plea on April 22 to charges of firearm and ammunition possession and having a trafficable quantity of cannabis – 1.24 kilogrammes – and engaging in money laundering with the sums of $9,047 and US$90 ($180) found on him.

Kirton is represented by Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim while Acting Senior Crown Counsel Rudolph Burnett represents the Crown.

Prosecutor Burnett told Justice Randall Worrell in the No. 2 Supreme Court that information was received on May 22, 2019, that led investigator Police Constable Damien Gollop and other officers to Kirton’s home at No. 7, Midsummer Drive, Husbands, St James. Around 2 a.m. on May 24, the police team arrived to execute a warrant. Kirton was at home at the time and was made aware of the warrant. He gave them permission to carry out the search and they started in the bedroom. Inside a closet, a brown box with one silver firearm and a magazine with a single round were discovered. A quantity of cannabis was also found.

A safe, bolted to the floor of the bedroom, was opened after Kirton provided the combination. Inside was a grey plastic bag with a sum of money suspected to be proceeds of crime. When asked to account for the money, Kirton told police: “That is money I mek from selling the weed”.

Money was also found in two dresser drawers which Kirton admitted also came from similar sales.

Officers then went to the kitchen and inside the stove were two vacuum seal bags containing cannabis.

“Yea man, I does sell weed,” Kirton reportedly told officers.

The items were taken to District ‘E’ Police Station and an inventory of the cash was made.

On Tuesday, Burnett made a confiscation/forfeiture order based on the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Crimes Act 2019.

Section 13 (1) of the Act states: “Where a defendant is convicted by the court of an offence or offences, the court may on the application of the prosecution or on its own motion make all or any of the orders” including an order confiscating any benefit that the defendant obtains as a result of or in connection with the commission of the offence/s.

Pilgrim made no objection to the order.

The prosecutor then asked for an adjournment to facilitate sentencing submissions and the case is to continue on May 21.

Kirton has spent two years on remand. (TS)