Man who uses cocaine to get coconuts jailed on gun, drug charges

A man who told the police that he found a firearm while he was searching for ‘gold’ and kept it as a souvenir was sentenced to three years on gun and cocaine charges.

Gerel Humphrey, 29, also told the police that he gives the cocaine to ‘crack heads’ as payment when they go to pick coconuts for him.

Humphrey, of Peruvian Vale appeared at the Serious Offences Court on June 20, where he pleaded guilty to the cocaine and gun possession charges.

He admitted that on June 19, at Peruvian Vale he had in his possession one .22 revolver without a license. He also admitted to possession of one gramme of cocaine with the intent to supply to another.

The court heard that on June 19, a party of officers attached to the Rapid Response Unit went to the defendant’s home to execute a search warrant with respect to a report about a firearm. During the search, one of the officers saw a new pair of bedroom slippers on a dressing table. In one foot of the slippers, 17 foil paper wrappings were found in a small box and when they were opened they resembled cocaine.

When Humphrey was cautioned he replied, “Is what I does give them crack heads to climb coconut tree for me.”

When the other slipper was searched, a gold coloured revolver was found inside, and when it was shown to Humphrey he replied, “ I found it when I was searching for gold so I keep it as souvenir.”

When Humphrey was given the opportunity to speak, he claimed that there is some level of evidence that he found the firearm as two pieces of his equipment, namely a gold detector and a pin pointer were taken by the police. He also said that he never encouraged the “crack heads” to steal coconuts that he purchases them for $1 each but sends the men to climb the trees.

During Prosecutor Station Sergeant Renrick Cato’s submissions, Humphrey claimed that he sprayed the firearm gold because he “likes the colour gold.”

Cato said that based on the seriousness of the offence the court should hand down a custodial sentence.

Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne, referred to the sentencing guidelines, and found that the seriousness of the firearm offence fell into the highest category, while the consequence fell into the lowest category.

Browne adopted a starting point of three years and five months.

Aggravating of the offence were that the colour of the weapon was modified, and possession was over a sustained period. Mitigating was that Humphrey cooperated with the police.

The aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors and six months were added to the sentence.

Aggravating of him as an offender was his lack of remorse, and mitigating was that he is still young.

Humphrey had pled guilty and this resulted in a 1/3 discount of his sentence, bringing it to one month short of three years. However, the magistrate sentenced him to three years imprisonment.

With respect to the cocaine charge, Humphrey was sentenced to four months in prison and to run alongside the firearm sentence.