Fine for ‘Draw’ Possession

Errol Garbutt

That proposed marijuana amendment came up in court today when Errol Garbutt, a heavy equipment operator living on Racoon Street, Belize City who is planning to relocate to the US, was arraigned and convicted for drug possession before Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser.  Garbutt was convicted for three grams of marijuana which he had in his possession.  Police approached Garbutt on September twenty-second and when asked if he had anything illegal, Garbutt responded that all he had was a little draw found in his vehicle inside a black plastic bag. He was escorted to the Faber’s Road Police Station and charged. But in court today, he disputed the amount of weed saying that he only had two point eight grams and the remaining weight was due to the bag. He also told the court that he recently heard the Attorney General on the news speaking about the amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act as it relates to the decriminalization of possession of up to ten grams of marijuana. But the Chief Magistrate imposed a non-custodial sentence, fining Garbutt two hundred dollars which he was ordered to pay by October thirty-first, 2017 or in default, spend two months in prison.