Vendor acquitted of ‘ganja’ charge

DESPITE the acquittal of an Arima clothes vendor of charges of possession of narcotics, Justice Melville Baird yesterday praised State attorney Angelica Teelucksingh on her delivery of a “powerful” closing address. The acquitted man, Marlon Villafana, 27, of La Horquetta Trace, Tumpuna Road in Arima, was on trial before Baird at the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court charged with the possession of 1.93 kilos of marijuana. The State’s case was that on July 17 2001 at around 11 am, Villafana was seen near the Chacon Street, Port-of-Spain branch of Courts by officers on mobile patrol on South Quay.  The officers saw him run when he saw them approaching, and ran after him. He was apprehended and searched and the illegal narcotic was found in his knapsack; he allegedly said, “Boss is a man give me to drop that off.”

In his defence, however, Villafana argued that he was at the port waiting to buy a ticket to go to Tobago, when the officers singled him out and “rubbed him down.” Although they found nothing on him, he said they still arrested him and took him to the police station, along with a bag they found about six seats away from where he was sitting. He denied the officers’ claim that he had said he was dropping off the drugs for someone. After deliberating for almost an hour, the nine-member jury returned a not guilty verdict. Teelucksingh was assisted by attorney Wayne Rajbansie, while attorney Larry Williams represented Villafana.