By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Court Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
TWO men were fined yesterday after admitting to separate drug offences.
One of these men was an American cruise visitor who was arrested after he was found downtown with marijuana.
Larron Barnes, 30, of Chicago, stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on initial charges of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply and possession of dangerous drugs.
After disembarking from Mariner of the Seas around 9.30am on December 6, Barnes was arrested after he was found with 5.1 oz and 1.3 oz of Indian hemp in separate packages. At the time of his detainment the defendant had $5,106 in his possession which was confiscated by authorities.
The defendant admitted to the offence in an official interview and said that he had bought the drugs in the US. He pleaded guilty to the charges in court. Barnes apologised for his actions saying that he smokes to relax and that he was unaware that weed was illegal here.
The judge reduced the first charge to simple possession and fined the accused $1,000. If he defaults, he faces three months in custody. Magistrate McKinney also ordered that the seized funds be returned to Barnes.
The other man, Derinardo Mott, 29, of New Providence, also faced Magistrate McKinney on an initial charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.
On December 6, officers on mobile patrol pulled Mott over in his dark Passo for driving suspiciously. A search of the accused’s car uncovered 2 ¾ oz of Indian hemp in a clear plastic wrap. These drugs had an estimated value of $165. After his arrest the accused admitted in a police interview to buying the drugs to smoke and “chill out”.
In court, Mott pleaded guilty to the charge. The prosecution revealed that the accused had previous convictions serving two years for a firearm and a year for ammunition, to which the accused said he had no prior drug convictions.
After hearing this the magistrate reduced the charge to simple possession and fined Mott $350 or two months in prison in default of payment.
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