Local News

Fifty-four year old fudge vendor Godfrey Rowland , charged with drug trafficking for 26.3 pounds of cannabis, was sentenced to five years  by Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith after he was found guilty of the charge. It was his fourth conviction for drug trafficking. Rowland was also found guilty of driving without a driver’s license and driving a motor vehicle not covered by insurance. He was fined $150.00 for the first offence and $500.00 for the second. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. on December 21, 2011. The police had a checkpoint at mile 4 on the Northern Highway and they intercepted a grey car as it pulled off the highway about 100 metres from the checkpoint. Rowland was the only occupant of the car at the time and when the police searched the trunk of the car they found the bag of cannabis. Rowland testified and said that he was hitching a ride and the driver of the car had gone to purchase something. But Chief Magistrate Smith did not believe his story and she found him guilty.