Kasim Benti was sentenced to pay $10,000 or spend six months in prison for possession of 101.2 grams of cannabis in Magistrates’ Court Friday. He pleaded guilty to the charge in May.
“That’s a lot of money,” he told Magistrate Tamia Richards. “Can I have some time to pay?”
After adjourning the matter, Mr. Benti and the magistrate negotiated a payment schedule. Along with the drug charge, he was also fined $950 for several traffic offences, to which he also pleaded guilty: driving without a licence, driving an uninsured vehicle, driving an unlicensed vehicle, and driving without a seatbelt.
After some discussion, he was ordered to pay the full amount — $10,950 — by Nov. 5, with equal payments of $2,700 at the end of August, September and October. He paid $1,500 Friday.
Mr. Benti was arrested at 12:15 p.m. on May 5 in Major Bay and found with the drugs, police said.
If he fails to pay the fine he could face up to six months in prison. He was ordered to surrender all traffic documents until the money is paid.
{fcomment}