One Grand Bay man has been sentenced to pay fines in the amount of $57, 000 for the possession and intent to supply 6335 grams of cannabis, and his counterpart who is jointly charged with him has been remanded.
Theophn Benoit pleaded guilty, while Phillip Baron pleaded not guilty to the two charges before Chief Magistrate Evelina Baptiste on Thursday.
According to the facts of Benoit’s case which were presented by the police prosecutor, the defendant was approached at his home during a warranted Drug Squad Search.
According to the court, Benoit was holding a baby when police met him. A white sheet containing cannabis seeds, leaves and scissors were found in his residence.
The street value for the drugs according to the court was $52,000. Benoit was sentenced to pay $5,000 by April 30, 2010 or he will spend 10 months in prison on the charge of possession.
For the intent to supply charge, he will pay the amount of $52,000 by June 7, 2010 or spend 18 months in prison.
Baron was unable to provide a surety with the appropriate means and was remanded for the next seven days.
His trial for the matter was adjourned to a later date.
– Staff reporter
THIS JUDGE NEEDS TO BE MORE SERIOUS. WHY CHARGE SOMEONE $52,000 FOR WEED AND GIVE THE REAL CRIMINALS A SLAP ON THE WRIST AND A PAT ON THE BACK.
WHY WASTE TAXPAYERS MONEY OVER COUPLE GRAMS OF WEED? THERE ARE MORE PRESSING AND SERIOUS ISSUES TO DEAL WITH. GO AFTER THE MURDERERS, THE SEXUAL ABUSERS AND MOLESTERS. FIND THE CORRUPTION WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT AND POLICE FORCE AND LEAVE POOR PEOPLE ALONE WHO ARE TYING TO MAKE A LIVING THE BEST WAY THEY KNOW HOW. WEED NEVER KILL ANYONE AND IT NEVER WILL. IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO STOP SELLING WEED TO PAY THEIR BILLS AND FEED THEIR FAMILIES, THEN PROVIDE REAL JOBS FOR THEM AND STOP PENALIZING PEOPLE FOR FOOLISHNESS!
REMEMBER, ITS ONLY GRASS AND DON’T FORGET THERE ARE HEALING PROPERTIES FOUND IN IT, SO WHY NOT LEGALIZE IT!!!!!!
well congratulations mr.officer, unfortunately for this young man he is at an expense but the removal of a grain of rice from a pound slightly changes the figure. we have thrived on the income of weed and thats not going to stop now. i must say the authorities are trying their best but there is more to come. lets see who succeeds above all.
why be so hard on the weed and yet the ones who sell the crack and other hard drugs are on the down low? i guess is because the big boss them in control of it, buying fancy cars and blinging and pressing the poor over a lil weed. i guess if d/a had more jobs available that drug problem wouldnt have been a problem. people have to survive. so i guess it’s go hard or go home!!
Congratulations chief magistrate thats what to do charge those bastards high do like mr tiyani Benhainze. and stop harrasing him with those lawyers … he is teaching you well if yoy dont stop harrasing him we will ask for your demotion and request that he be made chief magistrate
This sentence makes no sense. How many Dominicans makes $52000.00 in one year? 18 months in prison time is really 9 months. If i were this young man i would take my jail. Plus a discount for good behaviour. I just don’t get the kind of defaults the Chief Magistrate gives. What is wrong with her?
real
6335 Grams = 14 pounds, now a pound of weed sells on the streets for no more than $700.00 a pound. what i want to know where they came up with the street value of $52,000.
The real street value of the weed is $9,800.
Don’t get me wrong i am not saying that the man shouldn’t be punished for the crime, how ever we have to be fare. Charge the man correctly..
On these drug trafficking matters,we need a more serious magistrate to deal with those who are truncating the lives of our youths.In every village in Dominica, it is evident that drugs are taking a heavy toll on the young men in particular.
When they are caught with the intention to supply,they need heavier fines.No wonder Tiyani is so popular among the concerned segment of the Dominican populace.
Get over it people… its just weed.. grass…. Legalize the the grass….
Now i am not into the violence that comes with it… but i see no use of putting a man behind bars in the name of marijuana waste of time and tax money…. I want to see what dominica will do when the USA legalizes it fully..( lets face it dominica gets money on the side from the USA to so call fight the drug trade) which is all good but just move weed out of it and “every thing is going to be alright”.
i have seen some stupid comments on the website but none like this. God help you
One has to stay within certain guidelines for many things.
Muslims have none.
Not impressed with the sentencing. Too lenient. Is time these Magistrate send a stronger message to the drug men in our country. We are hurting and is our chidren that will pay for it later. Wake up Chief Magistrate and see what is going on in the world. Drugs are killing the nations. We deserve better. You are paid to do a job, so do it with no fear.
That judge Evelina Baptiste should never be a judge or magistrate. She is not a good game player. Obviously the criminal has got away because he is going to choose the short sentence.
She is complaining about Tyani but I think it is her own conduct, skill, and affairs that should be investigated.
I wonder if her position as a judge has been compromised by criminals. Some of these people are not always what they appear to be.
too little too late Evalina
is Tiyani we want ,, not you and your leniency …
you mean to tell me dat is d kind of judgement we gettin in dominica? Pay that large sum of money or spend little time in jail? Without a second thought i wud take d jail..Dominica system need to get tighter than that!!
THE EQUATION FOR HIS SENTENCE DOES NOT CORRESPOND.
PAY 52 GRAMS OR TAKE 1.5 YEARS. SOME ONE WOULD TAKE THE LEAST, ONE AND A HALF YEARS !
THAT 52 GRAMS WOULD DO WELL BY BLOCKING A HOLE FOR THE GOVT!
18month i going stokie instead.so y so much money not that is to much for those dealing drugs but y such a big amount and so little time behind bars if payment is not made?
Traffickers should not be fined. They should be jailed. They are destroying people’s lives. This is why Dominica’s judicial system will hate Tiani. The system and the lawyers are getting rich at the expense of drugs. He will simply ‘wheel and come again’. I am so fed up! What kind of country is this?
highly educated but no jobs so what the hell you want people to do sit down and wait hell no.and the police force should know that what god created on earth no man should destroy.pestllence they are.