(CNS): Delbert Uriah Beoton avoided jail time recently but was fined $2,300 in Summary Court for possession of ganja after police found several plants and around 1.5lbs of the drug in his Lantern Point apartment. The court heard that Beoton, a Jamaican national who has lived in Cayman for more than 20 years while working as an accountant, had no previous criminal record or run-ins with the law.
But when police officers came to his home giving out RCIP flyers, he told them he was a prophet sent by God and had a cure for COVID. He then showed them around his apartment, including his ganja plants. The officers pointed out that cannabis without a prescription is illegal.
Keith Myers, who represented Beoton when he appeared before a magistrate earlier this month, said his client had immediately apologised and cooperated fully with the police investigation.
In his defence, Myers told the court that the circumstances were “bizarre and puzzling”, as he appealed for mercy and a conditional discharge. However, as she handed down the fine, Chief Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez noted that the defendant was essentially “cultivating and distilling”, even though he was not formally charged with growing the drug, only possessing and consuming it.
Beoton was given one month to pay the fine or two weeks in prison by default.