Man fined for ganja

A 32-year-old man from Bath Estate and Massacre has  until October 30, 2012 to pay two separate drug fines totaling EC$4,000.00 or face 13 months in jail.

Curvel St. Rose who appeared before Chief Magistrate Evalina Baptiste on May 14, 2012, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and possession with intent to supply 210 grams of the controlled drugs.

On May 12, 2012 at about 10:45pm, the officers of the Task Force were on patrol in the Minya’s 7-11 supermarket area in Canefield when they spotted St. Rose parking a scooter and looking suspicious.

He was approached and asked if he had any drugs and he responded “no”.

However while a search on his person revealed nothing, a search on the scooter revealed a clear plastic bag containing the illegal drug (210 grams) with a street value of EC$500.00.

He was arrested and charged and told the police that, “it was given to him by a fella who he had done a mechanical job for.”

In court he maintained his same story but the Magistrate told him, “I don’t believe your story.”

“You taking drugs in lieu of your mechanical job, you do it always and your actions have reactions which will have effects on the society,” Chief Magistrate Baptiste told him.

She said the youths in the society are “angry and wild” as a result of the actions of St. Rose and others like him.

“You all sell it to the school boys and they take it at age 10 and cannot be controlled because of that irrational behaviour,” she remarked.

She then fined him EC$1,000.00 to be paid by October 30, 2012 or 6 months in jail for possession of cannabis and EC$3,000.00 for possession with intent to supply.

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20 Comments

  1. me
    May 15, 2012

    hear the magistrate “You all sell it to the school boys and they take it at age 10 and cannot be controlled ” so they see when man smoke ganja allu cannot control them like puppet

  2. Law
    May 15, 2012

    DNO – can you provide readers with the sections of the law under which the person was charged. For example – the law which allows for searching the person which led to the possession charge etc….

    perhaps readers would better get the story.

  3. ???
    May 15, 2012

    Wait a second – there is a law in Dominica which allows for “suspicious” searches of a person just like that?

    What about the right to refuse a search?

    I need to go find the Criminal Code or whatever it is called in Dominica!

  4. Wiseup
    May 15, 2012

    ALL HOW I COME ON DNO IT HAVE SOMETHING ABOUT WEED…..HUH

  5. Medz
    May 15, 2012

    BIAS GOVERNMENT..OPEN UR EYES..DO YOUR RESEARCH…UNLESS U AINT PERSONALLY DONE YOUR RESEARCH IN REGARDS TO EFFECTS ON CANNABIS..U WOULD BE BAFFLED..EVERYBODY HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET AND LIBRARIES…FIND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT CANNABIS FOR YOURSELF…WHEN EVER YOU RUN YOUR MOUTH MAKE SURE YOUR BRAIN IS IN GEAR OK MAGISTRATE…CUZ I KNO FOR A FACT THAT YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH CANABIS..REASON FOR SAYING THAT, I REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN U BASH A PADNA FOR POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA..AND YOU TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE IS HELL D MAN GOIN FOR THE AMOUNT OF THIS I READ YOU SAID..YOU ARE VERY BIASED..I AM NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK MY MIND..I WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING IF I DONT STAND FOR SUMTIN…WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO DO ALLU NT DOIN…JUST GIVIN PEOPLE DIRTY RECORDS..YOU DID NOT RIGHT THE LAW OF THE LAND…NO BODY LEFT AND GAVE U THAT POWER SO PLEASE STOP WITH YOUR DISCRIMINATION ON A SUBJECT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT…THE GOVERNMENT WORKS FOR THE PEOPLE NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND…IF U WAS UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON IN THE WORLD..U SHOULD KNOW THAT THE THINGS WE UTILIZE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS…IS ACTUALLY WHAT THE BIGGER HEADS CALL POPULATION CONTROL..I SUGGEST U DO SOME BROWSING N EDUCATE YOURSELF SELF

  6. Green
    May 15, 2012

    We need a DNO poll to see how the majority of the public feels about decriminalizing marijuana.
    Hopefully it may lead to some policy reform.

  7. Matriculation
    May 14, 2012

    Crack cocaine is destroying lives of many young people. It creates what is locally referred to as ‘paros’. It has also caused the burglary situation in Dominica to skyrocket as the victims will go at any extreme to get financing for this diabolic substance.

    Strangely you never hear of police arresting anyone for crack possession. it is easier to obtain a piece of crack than to buy a loaf of bread. Yet the law officials just refuse to acknowledge the presence of this destructive industry. They take comfort in harassing users of the much milder marijuana, submitting them to hefty fines and/or unnecessary incarceration.

    There is something rather ingenuous about that whole affair and it looks like a classic conspiracy.

  8. Cza
    May 14, 2012

    But wait boi them man their just get a long time to pay them lil $1000 fine keep spoiling DA jest now allu will cry when they start sending allu prison like the US

  9. A Voice
    May 14, 2012

    Boy that court business there in Dominica is a cash cow. These people making a killing.

    No wonder people can hardly find justice in the court system…too much revenue to be made.

    I watchin’ still!!!

  10. revamp
    May 14, 2012

    i was there, i saw it live, a young nice rasta wi, alas.

  11. ?
    May 14, 2012

    but what happen to the young chines man who was arrested and charge for cocaine why wasn’t reported on the media

  12. Peacock
    May 14, 2012

    I think that giving a person conviced of marijuan or cocaine 6 months and more to pay a fine is giving them the liberty to peddle more drugs to pay the same fine. And the cycle continues.

    Suggestion: the fine should be paid immediately or else prison time.

  13. Fed Up
    May 14, 2012

    Legalize it for goodness sakes!

    • Mohamed
      May 15, 2012

      u not seeing the damage it doing to society kids in school it destroying thier lives cha man.. allah help us.

  14. wiser than
    May 14, 2012

    WHAT??????????????????????? Jah know.

  15. Anonymous
    May 14, 2012

    Chief Magistrate Evalina Baptiste, i hope your children don’t end up down that same route (life is a funny cycle), but marijuana is not the slightest problem for the youth, its lack of opportunity to utilize their time.
    get your priority right, cause their are layers, doctors even police and judges etc.. who use the natural substance and function 100%. It’s better to have common sense than an education your Honor.

    • ANONYMN-ASS
      May 14, 2012

      Here you go again anonynmous The way you talking as thou marijuana is legalised in Dominica. Nowadays they putting so much stuff in the weed causing alot of PAROS on the street. THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE is so very right on this matter and I dont see where her children coming in in that. As a parent you talk to kids and as adults they decide wht path to follow and that applies to all of us. She just doing her blinking job. Come on fool, grow up…weed today is not weed like before it aint pure its laced with cocoaine/crack and really messing up the society we see this all around the island wake up and smell the coffee.,,,,

      when they SPRANALA your weed in Montego bayz or block 44 atrobando or sessame street you will find out what time it is its not even weed anymore CRACKHERB they callling it in harlem !

  16. Kubuli Kountry
    May 14, 2012

    AA! Mrs. George, you have the “inside scoop”, man?? :lol: :lol: I must laugh.

  17. Rasben
    May 14, 2012

    It is legal to stop anyone in Dominica and search that person because they “look suspicious”? Did not know that.

    • LR
      May 15, 2012

      dem a violate man….smh….you cya search me just like da…..

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