The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 33-year-old man caught with $40 worth of marijuana was granted a conditional discharge on the agreement that he would attend drug counselling classes.

If he fails to fulfill his end of the bargain, he could risk being convicted of simple possession and sentenced to two months in prison.

Derico Mackey was arrested after police found eight grams of Indian hemp in his home on October 31.

He owned up to the offence during his arraignment before Chief Magistrate Joyann Fergsuon-Pratt.

The prosecution said on the night in question, officers acting on information proceeded to Mackey’s residence armed with a search warrant. When they arrived, they informed the accused that he and his home would be searched for dangerous drugs and firearms. During their investigation, officers found marijuana. After their discovery, Mackey told them the drugs were his and claimed he bought them because he had a smoking problem. He was subsequently arrested and taken to the Drug Enforcement Unit. In an interview with police there, he maintained his original explanation.

After accepting his guilty plea, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt ordered Mackey to attend counseling at a place that would be chosen by the Department of Rehabilitative and Welfare Services for four months. She warned him that if he did not complete the classes, he would be sentenced to eight weeks at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

In a separate case, Michelet Derisma was charged after officers found 11 marijuana foil wraps in his car on October 30.

The court was told that officers on mobile patrol stopped Derisma in the St Vincent Road area after they noticed him acting suspiciously. When they searched his vehicle, they found the drugs in a bag on a car seat. When he was questioned, he told police the drugs were his and said he was acting suspiciously because when he noticed the police car he tried to turn around. Derisma also claimed he bought the drugs from the Fish Fry in the Haitian Village.

During his hearing, he pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous drug possession with the intent to supply, but said he smoked because he “lost his job, was sleeping in a car and had a lot of issues.” He was subsequently fined $350 or eight weeks on remand.