Man held in major drug bust acquitted

A St Mary man who was among four people held with ganja worth more than $7 million has been freed of drug charges.

Taxi operator Conroy Clarke walked free from the Trelawny Parish Court on Friday after he was found not guilty of possession of, dealing in and taking steps to export ganja.

Clarke was reportedly driving a Toyota Voxy in Stewart Town, Trelawny, in June 2020 with another man aboard when the vehicle was stopped by a police team said to be acting on information.

A search of the vehicle revealed several bags of compressed ganja weighing about 1,700 pounds.

Police investigators believe the ganja was destined for Haiti as part of the drugs-for-gun trade.

Three other men, including a Haitian national, were arrested in two other vehicles that were travelling with the Voxy, the police reported at the time.

Explaining the basis for the acquittal, Clarke's attorney Donnovan Collins told The Gleaner that his client maintained from the outset that he was only in the vehicle because of threats to his life.

“From day one my client has said that he was only in that position because he was threatened with death by the other man in his vehicle,” Collins said.

The attorney said Clarke believes justice has been served and is happy to have this cloud lifted from over his head.

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