Two Toco residents guilty of ganja possession

TWO TOCO residents on Thursday appeared before Sangre Grande Magistrate Cheryl-Ann Blake to answer separate charges of possession of marijuana, following routine road patrols held by officers attached to the Toco Police Station along the Toco Main Road on Wednesday and Thursday.

Cumana resident, Rodney Thomas was fined $1,200 or three months in jail, while Monte Video resident, Noel Thom was remanded in custody for tracing and sentence. In the first incident, a group of officers attached to the Toco Police Station, including Det Cpl Sankar, Detectives Lutchman and Waldrop and PCs Joseph and Jones were on mobile patrol along the Paria Main Road in Monte Video when they observed Noel Thom. Thom, on seeing the police vehicle started to act in a suspicious manner, causing the officers to stop alongside him. PC Joseph searched Thom and found a black plastic bag containing 47 grammes of marijuana in his left rear pocket. Thom, 37, of Monte Video was taken to the Toco Police Station where he was charged for the offence.

In the other incident, the same officers were on mobile patrol along Toco Main Road, Cumana in the vicinity of Cheyneyne Trace, Cumana, when they observed Rodney Thomas liming on a bench along the main road. Thomas, 20, of Thompson Trace, Cumana dropped a hand-rolled cigarette and ran when he observed the police jeep. The officers retrieved the marijuana, which weighed 8 grammes and gave chase. Thomas was arrested a short distance away and taken to the Toco Police Station where he was charged for the offence by Det Lutchman. In the Sangre Grande Magistrate Court on Thursday, both men pleaded guilty to their offences. A $1,200 fine was ordered to be paid forthwith by Thomas or he would be sentenced to three months in jail but Thom, however, was remanded in custody.