Man slapped with $38K fine for bullets, cannabis, 14 years later

Fourteen years after being charged with illegal possession of almost 100 bullets and nine kilogrammes of cannabis, Ryan O’Neal Manning has been fined $38 000 — with the bulk due by next Monday.

The 49-year-old resident of Farnum Gap, Deacons Road, St Michael, admitted to having 98 rounds of ammunition without a valid permit, as well as possession and trafficking of 8.99 kilogrammes of cannabis on May 8, 2011.

He was ordered to pay $33 000 for the ammunition, with $20 000 due by the close of business on May 12. The remaining $13 000 must be paid within 12 months, or he will serve 892 days in prison. Manning was also fined $5 000 for cannabis trafficking, to be paid within a year or face the same custodial sentence.

Delivering the sentence in the No. 3A Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Anthony Blackman told Manning, “You are very fortunate, because when it comes to ammunition, this court starts at $1 000 a round — and you had 98! I went down to one-third.”

According to the facts, police received a tip and went to Manning’s residence, where they saw him under a tree. He ran off, but officers executed a search warrant at the house and discovered a sugar bag containing seven taped packages of cannabis and a black taped package labelled Federal Ammunition, with two boxes of ammunition. One box contained 50 rounds and the other 48.

Manning told police someone had given him the bag to keep and he did not know what was inside.

“I believe that you understand the seriousness of these offences,” Justice Blackman told him during sentencing. “Do not accept [anything] from [anyone] unless you know what is in that package or in that container. You appear to be a sensible person, and I am going to try to encourage you to use this as the fulcrum — a method to advance yourself, and set a good example for persons in your area. There are some youngsters out there who need guidance. Talk to some and see if you can make a contribution.”

The judge had started with a nine-year sentence for the ammunition, reduced to seven years after considering mitigating factors. Further deductions were made for Manning’s early guilty plea, delays in hearing the matter, and time spent on remand — leaving a sentence of two and a half years. However, Justice Blackman ruled that the custodial threshold had not been reached and opted for a monetary penalty instead.

Manning was reprimanded and discharged on the charge of cannabis possession.

Principal State Counsel Rudolph Burnett and State Counsel Treann Knight prosecuted the case. Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens represented the accused. (Emmanuel Joseph)