A 34-year-old man, who police said admitted to finding a bag of marijuana while walking through a cemetery one night, was today charged with the trafficking of narcotics.
Timothy Badal, a mason, of 193 Middle Road La Penitence, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on June 15, 2019 at East La Penitence he had in his possession 53 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. He appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Facts presented by Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield stated that on the day in question, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on information, went to the home of the defendant where they identified themselves as police officers and requested to carry out a search.
The ranks then went into the home where they met with a woman who identified herself as Badal’s mother.
A search was then conducted in Badal’s room and one of the ranks found leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be marijuana within a clothes basket in two black plastic bags.
Badal, when told of the offence, reportedly told the ranks he picked up the bags from a cemetery while he was walking home one night. Hence, he was arrested and charged with the offence.
However, the man’s lawyer Paul Fung-A-Fat, in a successful bail application, raised the question of multiple occupancies at the residence where the drug was found. The lawyer told the court that multiple persons live at Badal’s residence and the marijuana could have belonged to anyone.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Mansfield objected to bail being granted to the defendant on the grounds of the prevalence of the offence and the penalty the charge attracts.
The Chief Magistrate, after listening to both sides, released Badal on $120,000 bail. He was instructed to report to the East La Penitence Police Station every Friday until the hearing and determination of the trial.
The father of one is expected to make his next court appearance on July 9, 2019.
