Villa resident caught with 50 rounds of .38 ammo

Villa resident Elnathan Blake says he was in the process of handing over 50 rounds of .38 ammunition to the police when they raided his home.{{more}}

Despite his good intentions, magistrate Carla James, at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday said the charge was too serious and slapped a two-and-a-half-year sentence on the 37-year-old, after he pleaded guilty to possession of the ammunition.

Blake was charged also with being in possession of 85 grams of cannabis, but was reprimanded and discharged after pleading guilty.

According to the facts, on July 31, at about 6:45 p.m., members of the narcotics unit went to a home in Villa to execute a search warrant.

On arrival, the police met Blake and during a search of a room, a Jansport knapsack was found, which, when opened, revealed an envelope marked St Vincent and the Grenadines Government Service and which contained the ammunition.

When questioned, Blake admitted ownership.

As the search continued, in a bedroom, the 85 grams of cannabis was discovered.

In a plea of mitigation, Blake’s attorney Grant Connell told the court that according to his instructions, his client said he received the ammunition from a friend who found them, but was afraid to hand them over to the police.

Connell told the court that being the responsible citizen that he is, Blake took it upon himself to turn the ammunition over to the police, but was caught before he had the opportunity to do so.

“The ammunition was in transit. It is not like he was met with a gun and they were still in the casing,” Connell told the court.

Connell also pleaded with the court to place Blake on a suspended sentence in the circumstances. (JF)