A 35-year-old woman has told a court that she trafficked a quantity of marijuana in order to provide for her four children, since their father has abandoned them.
Anitha Qualis of New Amsterdam, Berbice appeared before Magistrate Crystal Lambert via zoom at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Qualis admitted that on September 19 at Karrau Village Essequibo River, Region Seven (Cuyuni – Mazaruni) she had in her possession 503 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
The woman told the court: “I accepted the weed, I am a mother of four, and my children’s father left for the interior, and I never heard from him again. I decided to try a thing to provide for my children.”
The prosecution’s case stated that at 14:30hrs on September 19, ranks were on mobile patrol duty at Karrau Village, Essequibo River, when they observed the woman acting in a suspicious manner.
The woman was questioned and she handed over a black compress parcel containing a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis, which was hidden underneath her clothing. She was arrested and taken to the Bartica Police Station.
The Magistrate, after listening to the woman plea of mitigation and the prosecution’s case, remanded her to prison. She will be sentenced on October 7.
