Magistrate suspends imprisonment for convicted drug dealers in 4yo case

Two men involved in a four-year-old drug case were spared imprisonment due to the extensive time that has elapsed since they first committed the offence.

They are Jariel Harrigan and Dillon Findlay who were both found guilty of possession of 41.2 grams of cannabis with intent to supply.

Magistrate Ayanna Baptiste-Dabreo said the serious nature of the offence warranted imprisonment but said she believed a suspended prison sentence was appropriate considering that their matter has been dragging on since April 2015.

She, therefore, handed down a ninth-month sentence which she suspended for one year. This effectively means Harrigan and Findlay will only spend nine months in prison if they commit any new offences within the next year.

What the court heard happened

It is reported that police had found Harrigan and Findlay asleep in a parked vehicle in the Ghetto/Crabbe Lot area of Road Town back in April 2015.

The officers had testified during the men’s trial that they caught both individuals along with another man with the cannabis, approximately $828 cash, a bag of Big Bamboo wrapping paper, and a quantity of dime bags.

The law enforcers further told the court that they suspected the men were selling drugs. They also noted their suspicion that the monies were proceeds of drug dealing.

Notably, police had initially claimed that the men were found 61.2 grams of the drug.