Retiree fined over cannabis possession

After police found him smoking cannabis, Lordon Emmanuel Beckles tried to swallow it.

Now the 66-year-old resident  resident of Ashby Alley, Nelson Street, The City, has to pay a $300 fine in one week or spend two weeks in prison after confessing that he had 62 grammes of cannabis. He also pleaded guilty before acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick that he had a trafficable amount and intended to supply the drug.

The court heard that police were on duty along Nelson Street when Beckles was observed smoking a cigarette from which a strong scent of marijuana was emitting. Officers approached him, told him of the observation, and he immediately tried to swallow it, but they prevented him from doing so.

The suspected cannabis was retrieved and, when asked to give an account, he admitted ownership, saying it was just a joint to smoke. He was taken to the police station and searched, during which more cannabis was found in his trouser pocket.

The estimated street value of the drug is $310.

“It was just a careless mistake, and I am asking for leniency,” Beckles said before being fined.

(JB)