3 years jail for less than an ounce of Cannabis

Michael O’ Brian also known as Michael Gouveia was on Friday sentenced to three years jail and fined $30,000 for trafficking 8.69 grams of cannabis, which converts to less than an ounce.

The 23-year-old Carpenter of Shell Road, Kitty was sentenced by City Magistrate Leron Daly after pleading guilty to the charge which stated that he had the illegal substance in his possession for the purpose of trafficking on March 20, 2019, in Kitty, Georgetown.

Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh told the court that on the day in question at about 10:30hrs, police on patrol observed O’Brian acting in a suspicious manner and conducted a search on him.

According to the Prosecutor, five zip loc parcels were found in O’Brian’s possession.

Before sentencing, O’Brian begged the court for mercy.

Guyana’s laws provide for a mandatory three-year jail sentence for the possession of small amounts of Marijuana. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was initially headlined as “3 years jail for less than a pound of Cannabis,” however, it has since been amended.