The Banjul Magistrates' Court, presided over by Principal Magistrate Taiwo Ade Alagbe, on Wednesday convicted and sentenced one Abdou Badjie and Malang Korteh to pay a fine of D250,000 in default to serve 3 yeas imprisonment each. The duo were arraigned separately on the same offence of possession of prohibited drugs contrary to Section 35 (a) of the Drug Control Act 2003, to which they all pleaded guilty.

The particulars of the offence in the case of Abdou Badjie, stated that the accused on or about 26th May 2012 at Latrikunda Sabiji in the Kanifing Municipality had in his possession 60 grams of cannabis sativa. According to the particulars of the offence in Malang Korteh's case, the accused on or about the 20th March 2012 at Kuloro Village in the West Coast Region, had in his possession 320 grams of cannabis sativa, a prohibited drug.

They both pleaded guilty to the charge and the NDEA prosecutor K. Jawla presented the facts of both cases and tendered the cautionary and voluntary statements of the accused persons, weighment statements, analytical reports and the cannabis in question in evidence as exhibits.

They admitted the facts of the case as presented by the prosecutor, and they were convicted accordingly based on the plead of guilty and admition of the facts. While begging for mercy from the court, the convicts urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

The court however sentenced them to pay a fine of D250,000 in default to serve 3 years imprisonment.