An outspoken local attorney thinks it’s unfortunate that four days after the shooting death of five men at Upper Kingstown, police have concentrated their efforts on raiding the home of a 77-year-old, seriously ill man, for marijuana.
Attorney Grant Connell’s comments came on Monday while mitigating on behalf of Samuel Barbour, also known as ‘Barbours’.
Barbour, a retired businessman, appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to possession of 5,604 grams (12 pounds) of marijuana with intent to supply.
Barbour was arrested last Sunday after the marijuana was found at his home in Colonaire during an early morning combined action by the Narcotics Unit, Special Services Unit (SSU), and Rapid Response Unit (RRU). The operation was led by RRU officer, Inspector Nolan Dalaway, also known as ‘Grandpa’, considered to be one of this country’s better police officers.
Connell told the Court that Barbour was a 77-year-old man with serious medical complications including prostate problems, hypertension, and arthritis, and he had brought his medication to Court with him.
“He (Barbour) cannot even stand on his feet,” Connell said, drawing the Court’s attention to the defendant seemingly struggling to keep standing while in the prisoner’s dock.
As a result, Presiding Magistrate John Ballah instructed the police to provide a chair for Barbour.
Connell expressed dismay with the early morning raid of the elderly man’s home, especially in the wake of an escalation in serious crimes, including a series of homicides. He issued a call to, “find better use for the police.”
The lawyer acknowledged that marijuana was still illegal, but noted that it was not at the higher end of the scale.
“Look at the calibre police officer (Dalaway) they put to go into a 77-year-old man’s home at 4 o’clock in the morning, when, (four days before) you have persons driving into a dead end in the capital, and taking the lives of five men”, the lawyer lamented. He described Inspector Dalaway as a ‘top cop’ but hastened to add, “I am not saying that the others are not good”.
He pointed out that while Barbour was before the Court on a marijuana possession charge which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, persons could get a prescription and go to certain cafés where they could sit comfortably, and smoke four ‘spliffs’ legally for EC$60.
“There is nothing aggravating about cannabis in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Cannabis does not support a habit, it’s about survival,” Connell said, adding that persons are involved in the marijuana business to provide food and shelter, and to send their children to school.
“Cannabis ain’t going nowhere. It will grow on every grave. It will always be here. You throw a seed and it grows. It’s nature, it’s something from the Almighty,” he contended.
According to the lawyer, “Ganja has no value when you have it rotting in the hills, and people like him (Barbour) have to suffer.”
Connell said that in certain areas on the Leeward side, marijuana could be seen growing close to the road. He suggested that Barbour should have qualified for a traditional grower’s license, having spent several decades in the trenches.
Connell also called for the laws to be reviewed. He noted that in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the indecent assault of a child carries a maximum penalty of five years, and if the victim is an adult, it carries two years.
In comparison, the maximum penalty for marijuana possession is seven years in prison, which is the same maximum penalty for illegal possession of firearms, as well as cocaine possession.
The lawyer pointed out that if you concentrate your efforts on sniffing out the ganja men, instead of searching for those who commit serious acts of violence, there will always be an escalation in crime.