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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Guyana: Woman jailed for ganja found behind kitchen cupboard
Straboek News
Wednesday 01 Mar 2006 A woman on Monday admitted having a quantity of cannabis sativa and its by-products hidden behind a kitchen cupboard when police raided her home and was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $10,000. Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan also remanded her alleged accomplice to prison. Silvia Benjamin of Lot 56 Beharry Street, Rose Hall, Corentyne pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. Meanwhile, Sandra Emptage pleaded not guilty to those charges. On February 24, Benjamin had in her possession 33.2 grammes of cannabis and 34.5 grammes of cannabis resin. According to the facts, a party of Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers conducted a search at Benjamin's home. During the search the substances were found. CANU Prosecutor Oswald Massiah said that during the search a sum amounting to $18,840 was found in the house. The CANU officers told Benjamin that the money was suspected to be proceeds from drugs. Benjamin, Massiah stated, offered no reply to that. He said that if the matter had gone to trial, CANU would have used the money as an exhibit. Meanwhile, Emptage who was present in the house at the time of the discovery was arrested and later charged jointly with Benjamin. Attorney-at-law Basil Williams, who made a plea for Emptage, told the court that CANU ranks went into a house in Berbice and found some stuff and the police have a statement from Benjamin stating that it was hers. Speaking for Benjamin he asked that the court allow her to do some community service. He stated that she had no previous convictions. He later handed over a medical certificate to the court stating that Benjamin was a victim of severe pain. "Convention has worked when all had failed. She was using it to ease the pain. I am of the belief that she felt that that was the only way to ease the pain." The defence counsel later made submissions for the case against his client to be dismissed. Massiah asked for bail to be refused for Emptage and for some time to consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) regarding the way forward. Emptage will return to court on March 8. http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_courts?id=46201146Guyana:
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