TWO students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) were yesterday placed on bonds to be of good behaviour for one year after they reappeared in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court, charged with possession of marijuana.
Another UWI student who also pleaded guilty to the criminal offence was reprimanded and discharged.
They were among a group of five who were arrested in Glencoe last December and later charged with being in possession of 145.9 grammes of the drug.
The five areKyle Ramlogan, Travis Asgarali, Adriel Ifill, Alex Von Sertima and Jonathan Bhola. The range between the ages of 18 and 21.
Asgarali and Ifill were placed on the bonds, while Ramlogan was reprimanded.
Von Sertima, a student at the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute in Chaguaramas, and who is pursuing an Associate Degree in sport tourism, was also placed on a one-year bond.
Bhola will be going on trial after he pleaded not guilty.
Bhola, a commercial driver, is currently studying electrical engineering at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
They were represented by defence attorneys Daniel Khan, Criston J Williams and Fareed Ali.
When they first appeared in court before Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor in December, Ramlogan, Asgarali, Ifill and Von Sertima told the magistrate they were driven into using marijuana in order to deal with the “stress” associated with studying in preparation for exams.
Yesterday, Baboolal-Gafoor suggested meditation as an alternative to dealing with the pressures associated with studying as opposed to drug use.
Von Sertima told the magistrate given the exposure given to the matter in the daily newspapers, he was also suspended from his school for a period of one year.
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Sources: Express , Two UWI students put on bonds for ganja