Businessman fined for 100lb ganja find

A BUSINESSMAN who was found guilty of trafficking 100lb of ganja after he was chased by police and found with the drug in his car trunk seven years ago was today fined $343,000 in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

The 52-year-old convict, Glenoy Williams of a St Andrew address, who the court heard has since claimed conversion to Christianity, was ordered to pay $15,000 or serve three months in prison for possession of ganja and $328,350 or face six months behind bars. He was admonished and discharged on the charge of dealing in ganja.

On February 6, about 4 p.m., police personnel who were acting on information, pursued a Toyota Corolla motor car that was travelling on Highway 2000 en route to the Corporate Area.

Williams, who was the driver, was chased and caught in Callaloo Mews, Kingston.

He was subsequently arrested and charged.

However, when Williams appeared in court, he pleaded not guilty to the charges, resulting in the matter going to trial.

During the trial, Williams maintained that he was not the driver of the car and that he was not aware the ganja was in the car.

His claim was that he had travelled to St Elizabeth to visit his grandmother and a male friend of his who was also returning to Kingston offered him a drive.

He further averred that when his friend picked him up, he was oblivious to the smell of the ganja.

Following t he trial, Parish Judge Broderick Smith found that Williams was the driver of the car and that he was guilty.

On Thursday, during his sentencing hearing, his attorney, Vincent Wellesley, during his plea-in-mitigation, beseeched the judge not to give his client a prison sentence and to accede to the recommendation in the social enquiry report, which asked for a fine to be imposed.

Wellesley further asked the judge to consider that his client had no previous conviction and that he is the father of eight children, some of whom are still dependent on him.