Carden Lewis Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

Carden Lewis

Nine persons from Hattieville, Belize District were dragged to court this afternoon to be arraigned on a single count of possession of a controlled drugs, to wit, one thousand and seventy-four grams of cannabis. The drugs were found inside a pickup truck at the junction of the Coastal Road and the George Price Highway.  Inside the vehicle were driver Robert Emmanuel Mejia; Carden, Keith and Brandon Lewis, as well as Akeem Augustus, Jason Longsworth, Richard Gardener, Marvin Martin, and Akeem Allen.  The group appeared before Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser and they were arraigned for possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.  All pleaded not guilty, except for Carden Lewis, who was seated next to the driver.  The Chief Magistrate explained to Carden that the charge is for drug trafficking and carries a fine of ten thousand dollars or a prison term of three years. Carden maintained a guilty plea and was sentenced to three years.  After Lewis took the rap for the weed, Prosecutor, Superintendent Egbert Castillo, withdrew the charges against the other eight persons and they were free to go, except for Keith Lewis.  He owed the court and so he will have to spend six months in jail.  The bust took place on July twenty-fourth at around seven-thirty in the morning. P C Palacio and another officer were on mobile patrol on the George Price Highway when Palacio spotted a pickup with seven men in the pan and two in the front.   Police conducted a search on the vehicle and found a plastic bag behind the front passenger seat which contained the cannabis.