Man jailed 12 months for using narcotic drugs
Thomas Cobbinah, a labourer who was arraigned for possessing a narcotic drug has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour for supplying narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Thomas was charged for possession but the Court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh convicted him for supply of narcotic drug, saying according to the facts of the case he is to be charged with supply and not possession.
He was convicted on his own plea of guilty, after praying to the court to temper justice with mercy.
In sentencing, the Court said it considered the fact that the exhibits tested positive to cannabis, and also that the facts of the case also revealed that Thomas actually was to be charged with supply and not possession.
He said even though under the circumstance the minimum sentence was five years, Thomas has showed remorse to mitigate sentence. He has also been in custody for five months.
“The Court has taken into consideration all mitigating factors and the accused person is sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in hard labour and is to pay a fine of 100 penalty unit or in default serve an additional six months.”
The Court later ordered the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police to destroy the exhibit within three monthsunder the supervision of the Court’s Registrar.
Prosecuting Superintendent Kweku Bempah, earlier told the Court that the complainants are a Police Officer and a Military officer, while the convict is a Labourer residing at Nungua.
He said on July 30, 2016, the complainants had information that Thomas was engaged in selling dried leaves suspected to be Narcotic drug at the Nungua lorry park to members of the public.
The complainants immediately went to the area and saw the convict with some quantities of wrapped substances in brown papers suspected to be Marijuana in a black polythene bag, with people buying and smoking.
Superintendent Bempah said the complainants pounced on him and arrested him together with 144 small wrapped dried leaves in brown papers with an amount of GH?76.10. He was handed over to the police and a complainant was lodged.
He said Thomas admitted the offence in his caution statement, and mentioned his source of supply and supplier.
He said the exhibit was sealed in the presence of the convict after which it was sent to the Police Forensic Lab for analytic examination.
Source: GNA