A 34-year-old man was given until Tuesday, February 15,to pay a fine of $960 after being caught with 20.6g of cocaine.

Failing this, Ivan Ragguette of Gibson Corner would have to serve a penalty of two months in prison. 

This sentenced delivered at the Serious Offences Court(SOC) came after Ragguette was nabbed on Saturday, February 12, by a Special Services Unit (SSU) mobile patrol led by Sergeant 147 Lewis. Police Constable 466 Haywood was among the party of officers and he sighted Ragguette walking on the side of the road heading toward Gun Hill. When Ragguette saw the police transport he reportedly began looking forward and backwards, which seemed suspicious to the officer. The Constable alerted the Sergeant who signalled the transport to stop. They all alighted and approached the man. A search revealed a plastic bag containing 144 foil wrappings. Several were opened at random to reveal the white powdered substance. 

Ragguette told the police that it was ‘coke’ that he had for a long time to sell and see if he could get some money. He asked for a chance. 

Ragguette was later charged and appeared at the SOC on February 14. Chief Magistrate, Rechanne Browne, hearing the facts prepared by the police and read by Sergeant, Atnel Ash, commended the SSU officers on their sharpness.  

She intended to stand down the matter for checks to be made into Ragguette’s antecedents and told the defendant this. She also told him that when he returned to the dock he would be given the opportunity to tell the court anything he wished to say before sentencing. However, the defendant did not want to wait pleading with the court that he wanted to “pay a money” and would rather do this than go to prison.

The matter was, however stood down for a while. When it was recalled, checks revealed that the defendant’s criminal record showed no recent offences. 

The magistrate asked Ragguette how much he received for one of the small foil packets. He said that it was $5. 

“So $5 brings unending misery,” Browne commented. 

She told the defendant that she does not like cocaine offences “at all”, emphasising that the substance is not naturally based and causes significant “havoc”.

 Ragguette once again asked for a chance to pay a fine. 

“I have like ginger and ting in the ground. Eddoes, tannia, dem things dey,” he informed the court. 

Browne asked him when did he plant the ginger and he replied “Well late in October.”

She asked him how long he would have to wait for the crop and Ragguette reasoned that it would be nine months. 

The magistrate seemed to accept this answer, indicating to the defendant that it had been a test to see if he in fact knew about planting ginger.  

She also asked Ragguette when he planted the eddoes and he said that he planted everything “around the same time”.

The defendant denied being a user of cocaine.  

“So why you want other people use that?” the magistrate questioned. 

Ragguette revealed that he had completed some work for someone in the mountain and had been given it. The magistrate told him that it was not currency. 

Browne informed him that with these offences the court could choose to impose a penalty that is three times the value of the drug. 

Based on the value of $5 per packet, the sum could be $2160, she said. 

Nevertheless, she chose to apply two times the value. The defendant pleaded guilty and was therefore allowed a one third discount to the fine, leading to a final of $960. 

While Ragguette was waiting during the course of the morning for a cousin to come this did not happen. In the end, the court gave him until today, February 15, to meet his obligations or suffer the consequences.