Three jailed, one freed in Bartica drug trafficking case

January 7 2025

Four Bartica residents were arrested and charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking after police discovered 272 grams of cannabis in their possession.

The accused are 22-year-old firewoman Tecina Angel Wills of Two and a Half Miles, Bartica–Potaro Road; 36-year-old labourer Rhon Smith of Mora Camp, Bartica; 27-year-old prison officer Walter Benn of Mora Camp, Bartica; and 28-year-old vendor Melissa Allen of Mora Camp, Bartica, Essequibo River.

The four were arrested on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, and were subsequently charged on Thursday, January 30, 2025, with the offence of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

They appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohammed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, where the matter proceeded to trial.

At the conclusion of the trial, Tecina Angel Wills and Rhon Smith were found guilty and each was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. Walter Benn pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Melissa Allen was found not guilty, and the charge against her was dismissed.