A forty-six-year-old father of nine was on Thursday arraigned before city Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts following a recent drug bust at Mousie Landing in the Essequibo River.
The magistrate read the charge against Shawn Samuels, which stated that he was in possession of fifty-five (55) grams of cannabis and five grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking on July 31, 2017, in the Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight) District.
Attorney-at-law Paul Fung-A-Fat provided legal representation for the accused and sought to secure bail on the grounds of existing special circumstances in that there is overcrowding in the Prison, to which McGusty refuted his assertion by declaring that “there is space now, they are welcoming all”. McGusty added that there exists accommodation at the Lusignan, Camp Street and Timehri Penitentiaries respectively.
Moreover, the lawyer contended that the drugs were not discovered on the person of his client, thus possession or ownership cannot be attributed to him. According to defense counsel, the drugs were discovered in a workshop which housed the businessman’s mining equipment, reportedly concealed in a motorbike. It was also argued that the workshop which was unused for five months was broken into, thereby allowing access to any person who could’ve been the real owner of the illegal substances.
However, Prosecutor Steven Telford disputed the lawyer’s position by relating that the drugs were found in the presence of the defendant and not concealed in a motorcycle as argued by the defense. The man had also allegedly confessed to ownership of the narcotics in a caution statement to Police officers.
He returns to court on August 7, 2017.
