Man on trial for attempting to smuggle 8 cell phones, ganja at Portmore lockup

The trial of a man accused of attempting to smuggle eight cellular phones, ganja and other contraband in a Portmore lockup is set to continue in the St Catherine Parish Court on April 24.

The accused, Weston Hall, 34, of Spanish Town, St Catherine, is answering to charges of unlawful possession of property and possession of ganja.

Sergeant Derrick Wallace, the first witness in the case that started today before Senior Parish Court Judge Yvette Wenthworth-Miller, testified that about 2:30 am on March 11, 2023, he was on patrol at the Portmore police lockup in St Catherine.

He said upon reaching the rear of the building, he saw Hall taking items from a bag and pushing them through the ventilation of cell number eight at the station.

The accused, he said, was startled when he accosted him and enquired about his actions.

Sergeant Wallace searched the bag and found eight cellular phones, five chargers, rizzlas, a quantity of vegetable matter resembling ganja and a bottle of liquid content resembling rum.

He said the accused told him that he was being threatened by a man who advised him to give the items to the prisoners or he would be killed.

The police conducted a search of cell number eight and found three cell phones and a quantity of ganja.

Wallace told the court that the items were seized in the presence of the accused, who was cautioned and subsequently charged.

Hall's bail has been extended until the matter resumes in April.

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