MANCHESTER, Jamaica — A 38-year-old man was sentenced to 22 months behind bars or pay more than J$1 million in fines after he pled guilty to possession and trafficking of illegal substances when he appeared before the Manchester Parish Court on Monday, September 23.

Approximately two kilograms of cocaine and 12 pounds of ganja were reportedly found in a car being driven by Mahon Davis of a Ewarton address in St Catherine.during an operation led by the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) in Manchester on Monday, July 25.

Davis was subsequently arrested and charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

According to the police, lawmen were in the area when they saw Davis driving a Toyota Axio motorcar with a woman as a passenger aboard. He was signalled to stop and  he complied. A search of the vehicle was conducted which revealed two garbage bags containing ganja in the trunk of the car and one kilogram of cocaine hidden behind the glove compartment of the motor vehicle.

A further search of the vehicle also revealed another kilogram of cocaine concealed in another section of the motorcar.

Davis and the woman were taken into custody in relation to this matter. However, during the investigation, the woman was released.

As a result of his conviction, Davis was sentenced to:

* six months imprisonment for possession of ganja or J$15,000;

*six months imprisonment for trafficking ganja orJ$105,816;

*six months for possession of cocaine or J$500,000 and

*four months suspended sentence for two years or J$500,000 for trafficking cocaine.

The sentences will run concurrently if the fines are unpaid.

Davis is scheduled to appear in the Manchester Circuit Court on Thursday, January 23, 2025 for an asset forfeiture hearing.