AFC’s Devin Sears is innocent until proven guilty – Norton

Leader of the Peoples National Congress-led A Partnership for National Unity (PNC-APNU) Aubrey Norton says Devin Sears should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Sears, an active member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), previously served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the joint APNU+AFC coalition in the National Assembly, which was led by Norton as Opposition Leader.

The 39-year-old politician was recently remanded to prison after pleading not guilty after being busted transporting over 680lbs of marijuana.

Asked to comment on this situation during a press conference on Friday, Norton said “like every human being in this society, he should be presumed innocent until he is proven guilty”.

It was reported that at around 20:41hrs on Monday, a team of police officers intercepted a bus at the Old Bamia Police Checkpoint in Linden, Region Ten.

The vehicle is the property of the Region Ten Tourism Committee Inc., for which Sears was the Vice Chairman; he has since resigned from the position.

At the time of the interception, Sears was driving the vehicle with a the lone passenger, 69-year-old Albert Sandy, a farmer.

Police had reported that upon stopping the vehicle, Sears began acting in a suspicious manner, prompting the ranks inquire what they were transporting.

Sears reportedly told the officers that “I am transporting tourism plants.”

An officer then instructed Sears to pull over and then informed him that a search would be conducted on the vehicle.

During the search, police uncovered 22 plastic bags and four canvas bags, which, when searched, turned out to be marijuana.

Both men were told of the offence, arrested, and cautioned.

Police said Sears remained silent, while Sandy admitted ownership, stating that the narcotics belonged to him and that he had paid the AFC member to transport him to Parika.

On Thursday, the duo appeared before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool at Linden Magistrate’s Court to answer to the charge. Sandy pleaded guilty and was jailed for four years. Sears, however, pleaded not guilty and was remanded until November 11.