A Suva man has been convicted of possessing 1.2 grams of methamphetamine in October 2020 at Rifle Range, Vatuwaqa.
Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne found Ritesh Kumar guilty of one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs.
Police officers testified that on the day of the incident, they responded to a report of suspicious activity in a motor vehicle. When approached by police the driver drove away leaving Kumar, who had been sitting earlier on in the front seat of the car.
After being arrested and escorted to the police station, Kumar was searched and instructed to empty his pockets. He then produced a clear plastic packet containing the drugs.
In his defence Kumar claimed the drugs did not belong to him. He said that after his friend fled, police officers instructed him to pick up items from the ground, including an empty Ziplock bag, which he was then told to place on the table at the station.
In his analysis, Magistrate Somaratne found prosecution witnesses to be credible and truthful in their testimony and rejected Kumar’s version of events.
Kumar has 28 days to appeal.
