Four men were arrested and charged after police found 18.51 pounds of cannabis at a home in Liberta.[1] Police went to the Liberta home on 7 October 2021, searched the property and found the drugs, worth $37,000.[1] The four were charged with cultivating the controlled drug and being concerned with its supply.[1]

Three of the men, Uroy Joseph, Zamir O’Garro and Micha O’Garro, said they worked for the Ras Freeman Foundation, which holds a cannabis licence, and had taken the drug home to finish cleaning it before the curfew struck.[1] The fourth, 18-year-old Delon Edwards, was reportedly just at the house when they were caught.[1]

The four appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh the day before the article was published and asked to be bailed for the indictable offence, arguing they had moved the drug only to avoid breaking the curfew.[1] The prosecution objected to bail for two of the men because their records showed a propensity to commit the same crime.[1] The magistrate granted all four bail of $40,000 with a cash component of $2,500, and required them to report to the nearest police station, provide two sureties and surrender their travel documents.[1]

They are due back in the same court on 14 February 2022 for a committal hearing, when the magistrate will decide whether there is enough evidence to send the matter to the higher court.[1]