Virgin Gorda resident Bakembe George was sentenced to 33 months in prison at Magistrates’ Court on Friday for the charge of cultivating cannabis.
On Dec. 29, 2012, Mr. George was arrested for allegedly growing nearly 3,500 marijuana plants on a hillside near the VG airport. At the time of the arrest, Police Information Officer Diane Drayton said police found more than 2,200 plants, ranging from seedlings to five-foot-tall plants that were budding.
She said the arrest was made by police officers acting on intelligence.
When all was said and done, Magistrate Tamia Richards said, 3,479 plants were counted, which yielded 11.2 kilograms of cannabis.
During the sentencing, Magistrate Ms. Richards said she was giving the 22-year-old such a harsh sentence because of his extensive rap sheet, which includes charges of cocaine possession, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of explosives.
She added that Mr. George was serving a suspended nine-month sentence for possession of cocaine with the intent to sell at the time of his cannabis cultivation arrest. Those nine months are included in his 33-month sentence.
In June 2010, Mr. George was stopped and searched by police, who allegedly found a 0.40-caliber pistol and 20.5 grams of cocaine.
Ms. Richards counted the start of his sentence from the time he was charged, which knocks off another 14 months off his 33-month sentence, leaving 10 months for him to serve.