Bernard Fevrier of La Lay Grand Bay was caught red-handed as he was on his way to complete a drug transaction in Portsmouth on September 23, 2022.
According to the facts as communicated to the court by police prosecutor Inspector Francis Laville, members of the Drugs Squad were stationed at Police Headquarters when they received certain information, and, because of that information they immediately left on police vehicles GA544 and GA555.
On their way, on the E.O. LeBlanc Highway they met bus registration number HE451 in traffic heading north, he approached and after police identified themselves to him and asked him to stop and switch off the vehicle he was searched. Nothing illegal was found on him.
The police then informed him that they suspected that he may be carrying drugs and asked that his vehicle be searched. He was also the lone occupant of the vehicle. A search of the vehicle commenced and three nylon bags containing what appeared to be compressed packaged marijuana were found.
When asked what was in the nylon bags he replied, “weed that there, I was taking it to Portsmouth for sale.”
He was arrested along with the drugs and bus and taken to police headquarters where the drugs were weighed in his presence and weighed 33,142 grams.
During the weekend, samples of the drugs were taken and sent to the government analysis for testing and returned “positive.”
The drugs carry a street value of $73,000.00. Fevrier was formally arrested and charged for drug trafficking and pleaded guilty to the offense when he appeared before Magistrate Michael Laudat, the court was also told that he has a rap sheet with several drug convictions.
Not represented by a lawyer, he had to conduct his own defense and mitigation.
Before putting his case to the court, Magistrate Laudat informed him that he was “not a first-time offender on drug matters and he needed to impress on the court why he should not be given a custodial sentence. “It’s serious business, tell me why I should not send you to jail or fine you the maximum $150,000.00, it’s your time now to speak,” he was told.
“I think, I will have to pay the money, so give me time to pay it…I can pay $50,000.00 by December,” Fevrier told the court.
In response, Magistrate Laudat told him that he has fully cooperated with the police and did not waste the court’s time. “So, you will get the necessary discount for all that, the sentence of the court is a fine of $50,000.00 dollars to be paid in three installments,” the Magistrate stated.
“You are to pay $15,000.00 by December 31, 2022, in default six months in jail, the other $15,000.00 to be paid by June 30, 2023, in default six months in jail and the balance which is $20,000.00 must be paid on or before October 31, 2023, in default six months in jail, the drugs is forfeited to the State to be destroyed,” he said.