Eddoes vendor fined $9,000

Brandon Dalzell, 24, of Belmont was slapped with the fines by Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the San Fernando Magistrates’ court after he pleaded guilty to the offences.

He appeared along with another man, Ricky Ayers, 59, who is a ‘PH’ driver of St Mary’s Village, Moruga, following their arrest on Wednesday by San Fernando CID officers.

Ayers pleaded not guilty and was granted $85,000 bail. Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan told Magistrate Forde-John that at about 11.45 pm on Wednesday, police were on mobile patrol duty in a marked vehicle on Lower High Street where they observed a Nissan B15 car parked near Scotia Bank. The party of officers included Cpl Roger Nanan, WPC Praveen Rajkumar, PCs Thompson and Roodal of the San Fernando CID.

Dalzell was in the front passenger seat and another man in the driver’s seat, Seedan said, when the officers approached the vehicle. A search was conducted of the men but nothing illegal was found, however, the prosecutor said that when the officers searched the center console area which is under the dashboard, they discovered a gun and magazine containing 17 rounds of ammunition. They both were arrested and charged.

Asked why he had the gun, Dalzell told magistrate Forde- John that he was not a trouble- maker, and, he had one ‘bad case’ for trespassing. “You will never, ever see my face again in court,” the accused said. “I sell eddoes and ground provisions.

I saw a bag and thought it had marijuana in it.” He went on to tell the magistrate that had been marijuana, he would have sold the illegal narcotic to buy more eddoes. Magistrate Forde-John fined him $7,000 for possession of the gun and $2,000 for the ammunition.

He was ordered to pay the fines in the next 30 days or serve two years for the gun possession and nine months for the ammunition.