Son of incarcerated gangster Joel Andem freed of ganja charges

Twenty-year-old Tamoya Andem, the son of incarcerated former notorious gang leader Joel Andem, was today found not guilty in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court of possession of 100 pounds of ganja, which was found in a motor car in which he was a passenger.

Andem's co-accused Zydan Douglas was also acquitted of the charges.

A passenger and the driver had pleaded guilty before the start of the trial.

The prosecution led evidence that on May 13, 2021, the men were passengers in a motor car travelling along Derrymore Road in St Andrew.

The police stopped the car because of a traffic breach.

On approaching the car, the police said there was a strong odour of ganja coming from the vehicle.

The car was searched and the police found a bag containing ganja on the back seat of the car and six other bags of ganja in the trunk.

The total weight of the ganja was 100 pounds.

In their defence, the men denied knowing that ganja was inside the car.

They said they had just been picked up by the driver and a passenger who was in the vehicle.

The parish judge, in freeing the men, pointed out that the principal police officer in the case was discredited under cross-examination by Kings Counsel Peter Champagnie, who represented Andem, and attorney-at-law Javed Grant, who represented Douglas.

The judge said the smell of ganja alone was not sufficient in law to find the men guilty and freed them of charges of possession of ganja, dealing and trafficking in ganja.

- Barbara Gayle

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