Berbice man jailed, fined $38.8M for trafficking ganja

A 30-year-old Berbice resident was on Wednesday sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment and fined $38.8 million for trafficking 158 pounds of compressed marijuana.

Anthony Carmichael called “Strongy” of Rosignol, West Coast Berbice was found guilty of the offence by City Magistrate Judy Latchman.

The charge read that Carmichael had the illegal drugs in his possession on April 16, 2018, while he was on Sheriff Street, Georgetown.

The matter was prosecuted by Kunyo Sandiford, who is attached to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).

According to the facts presented, CANU ranks found motorcar PKK 1609 with wrapped packages of marijuana in the back seat and trunk.

Carmichael, who was the driver of the vehicle, fled the scene before the drug enforcement officers arrived.

During trial, a CANU officer testified that Carmichael had confessed to the allegation.

According to the rank, Carmichael admitted to having a ‘look out man’, who told him that two pickup vans were following him.

The “look-out” man told the court that the accused called him that said day, informing him that he had marijuana coming from the Berbice River.

He claimed that he did not traffic the drugs but that it was Carmichael who did and was, in fact, the person behind the wheels on the day in question.

Magistrate Latchman, in handing down her sentence, took into consideration the quantity of the drugs and the fact that it was trafficked in an organized manner.