Woman ordered to pay $7,500 fine by April

Mohammed assured Justice Carla Brown-Antoine that she will not see her again after the judge told her she was “indeed very lucky”.

In sentencing Mohammed, Brown-Antoine made it clear she was sentencing the offender but not the offence and based on the reports she has received, there was no indication that Mohammed was likely to commit the offence again.

Mohammed was on trial before Brown-Antoine in the Port-of- Spain Second Criminal Court, along with mother and son -Gloria Benn and Jason Benn, who were also convicted.

Gloria Benn, 59, and Jason, 32, were sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison for trafficking a quantity of cocaine which was discovered at Benn’s Orisha Shrine at Achong Trace, Tunapuna, on January 21, 2006 by police who executed a search warrant.

Mohammed was only convicted of simple possession of four packets of marijuana which were wrapped in heavy-duty plastic and found in the downstairs room of a two-storey house.

All together police discovered 175 packets of marijuana, which weighed a total of 340.46 kilogrammes.

Mohammed was not found in actual physical custody of the marijuana and the jury was given the option of finding her guilty of simple possession, rejecting that she was the occupier of the shrine but that being Benn’s girlfriend, she only occupied the bedroom where the marijuana was concealed in a barrel.

The judge said Mohammed’s culpability was relatively low.

Justice Brown-Antoine told Mohammed she hoped the ‘crowd’ of people who supported her at the trial and spoke of her good character in testimonials to the court, would still continue to support her tangibly.

“I don’t see the crowd. I hope they support you tangibly and not all about talk but show you that they really support you,” Justice Brown-Antoine said.

The State was represented by prosecutor Nigel Pilgrim and Giselle Ferguson- Heller while attorney Ian Brooks represented the Benns and Mohammed.