Minibus driver jailed, fined $19.5M for possession of narcotics

A minibus driver was on Tuesday sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined more than .5 million, after he was found guilty of possession of 12 kilogramms of compressed marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Ossie Mc Farlene, 35, of Hopetown, West Cost Berbice, was found guilty of the charge by Magistrate Rhondell Weaver at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court.

It was alleged that on September 29, 2015, Mc Farlene drove his car through a roadblock in front of the Fort Wellington Police Station after which he was apprehended and found with the quantity of narcotics.

Prosecutor Inspector Althea Solomon presented evidence to establish that after Mc Farlene failed to stop at the roadblock, officers gave chase and caught him at Plantation Hope, West Coast Berbice.

A search was conducted on the vehicle he was driving and eight packets of compressed marijuana were discovered in the trunk.

Defence Attorneys Mursalene Bacchus and Perry Gossai had argued that their client was innocent of the allegations, pointing out that he was oblivious that marijuana was in the trunk of the vehicle. This was however insufficient and did not influence the decision of the court.