Senior Reporter
derek.achong@guardian.co.tt
A man from Talparo has been acquitted of cultivating a multi-million-dollar marijuana plantation in 2011.
It took a nine-member jury before Justice Nalini Singh in the Port-of-Spain High Court less than an hour to deliberate on the case and return with a unanimous not guilty verdict for Duane Caldon.
According to the evidence in the case, Caldon was arrested and charged with marijuana cultivation after police officers raided the plantation at Mendoza Road, Mundo Nuevo, Talparo, on September 26, 2011.
The State’s only witness in the case was PC Brewster, who testified that he and a dozen colleagues, who participated in the raid, found Caldon tending to the one-acre plantation, which they claimed contained 18,000 fully grown marijuana plants and approximately 3,200 seedlings.
The street value of the plants at the time was estimated to be $18 million.
While being cross-examined by Caldon’s lawyer, Israel Khan, SC, Brewster conceded that none of his colleagues, who participated, were called as witnesses to corroborate his claims.
He also admitted that they never took photographs of the plantation before destroying the plants.
He While Brewster claimed that Caldon admitted that the plants were his when he was detained, he admitted that he lost his pocket diary, in which he allegedly made notes of the admission.
Brewster also failed to produce an extract from a station diary, in which he claimed a record of the admission was also made.
Although Caldon did not testify in his defence, Khan contended that he was found a quarter mile away from the plantation and was taken to the location by the officers.
Caldon was also represented by Arissa Maharaj. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was represented by Maria Lyons-Edwards and Cassie Bisram.
