The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Court Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO MEN were fined in Magistrate’s Court yesterday for drug possession, one of them being an American cruise visitor.

Yaveth Roman, 33, of Florida faced Magistrate Samuel McKinney on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs.

On September 6, while aboard Harmony of the Seas, Roman was arrested after he was found with three grams of cocaine in three clear plastic Ziplock bags. During his official record of interview with police, he admitted to buying the drugs for $100 in the US and taking them on the cruise for his own personal use.

Roman pleaded guilty to the charge in court.

The magistrate ordered him to pay a fine of $500 or risk one month in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

He was informed of his right to appeal the court’s ruling within seven days.

The second man, Guapson Louis, 23, of Bacardi Road, also faced Magistrate McKinney on two counts of possession of dangerous drugs.

At around 2.45pm on September 5, Louis was arrested near his residence after a failed attempt to flee the police. After being caught, authorities found a homemade Indian hemp cigarette (1 gram) on the accused, to which he said “I forgot that was there.”

Police further uncovered more drugs in the same bushy area from which Louis had fled under an old mattress in a white and yellow container. This container held 15 green mini Ziplock bags all containing marijuana that had a collective weight of 20 grams. The accused denied custody of this set of drugs during his police interview, stating that they belonged to a man named “John” who was the person who intended to sell the drugs.

In court, however, Louis pleaded guilty to both charges.

Magistrate McKinney ordered Louis to pay a fine of $600 or spend three months at BDCS for the 20 grams of marijuana and a further fine of $100 or one month for the gram of marijuana.

The accused was also placed on 18 months’ probation for which any breach would result in three months in prison.

The drugs in both cases were ordered to be destroyed.