Tobago soca artiste Anthony “Jr Bana” Bacchus was bonded in the sum of $20,000 to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years when he appeared before Magistrate Indrani Cedeno at the Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
He was charged for possession of marijuana.
The court heard that police officers from the Divisional Task Force executed a firearm and ammunition search warrant at a wooden shack at De Coteaux Trace, Zion Hill, Belle Garden, where Bacchus, 30, resides on May 17 around 4.45 am.
They found the marijuana concealed in three transparent plastic bags in a fridge. The drug weighed 84 grammes and had a street value of $3,400, approximately three times the legal amount. Bacchus pleaded guilty to the crime.
The Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, which came into effect in December last year, permits each adult to have a maximum of 30 grammes of marijuana in their possession and four marijuana plants on their premises.
Bacchus was the runner-up in the 2020 Tobago Soca Monarch finals and a semifinalist in the International Soca Monarch with his 2020 song Groovy. It was only two weeks ago that Bacchus released a video for the song on YouTube.
Bacchus was also a former Airport Authority of Trinidad and Tobago security officer but was fired from his job early this year.