Even as Inshan Ali admitted to a San Fernando Magistrate that he smokes marijuana daily, he begged the court for leniency on his 29th drug possession charge, saying he has a “light on his head” that makes him do wrong.
Ali, 45, of Semper Street, Caratal, Gasparillo, pleaded guilty to possession of 77 grammes of marijuana when he came before Magistrate Natalie Diop in the Sixth Court yesterday.
According to the charge, read against him by police prosecutor Chanardath Jilmit, around 4.45 pm on October 21, PC Dario Ramlal was on mobile patrol along Caratal Road, Gasparillo.
Ramlal saw Ali walking along the roadway but when he saw the police vehicle, he put his right hand in his right front pants pocket, turned around and began walking briskly.
Ramlal became suspicious, approached Ali and searched him. He found a clear plastic packet containing a substance resembling marijuana.
Ramlal then arrested and charged him.
In court yesterday, Ali readily agreed to the facts of the case, but told Diop he suspected someone put a light on his head because he kept getting into trouble.
“I find I not lasting long outside at all, I making too much jail. I feel somebody put a light on my head, you know,” he said. “Is only 22 days now I come out of jail and look I back here again.”
Ali said he has been through rehabilitation programmes in prison and was awarded certificates for his progress.
“I was doing real good in jail, I get real certificates for doing the rehab, but as soon as I come out of jail, I smoking the drugs again.”
He said he had problems with his family and had been put out of his home.
“I born and grow there and when I come out, they getting on and running me? What I must do? I spend most nights sleeping under a truck. At least when I in jail I sleeping on a mattress.”
He told Diop he had made up his mind not to work hard to smoke drugs, because that was a waste of his labour.
Diop advised him to try the rehab programme again and sentenced him to nine months simple imprisonment.