MONTEGO BAY, St James — A targeted police operation at the People’s Arcade in this western city has landed one woman before the court on charges of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, and unauthorised possession of ammunition.

Tracey Brown found herself before Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday. Attorney Chumu Paris is representing her.

The court was told that on March 20, approximately 11:30 am, police conducted an operation at the People’s Arcade, reportedly in search of a woman believed to be linked to the storage of prohibited weapons and unauthorised ammunition.

Brown was seen at the location. Prosecutors say she subsequently accompanied officers and led them to her residence where she gave consent for a search.

Inside the house, officers say, they came across a clear plastic bag containing what appeared to be tissue-like material. That item was later confirmed to be two 2½-inch shotgun cartridges. Brown was shown the discovery and cautioned.

Her alleged response was: “Officer, mi nuh know how that reach inna mi bag. A nuh fi mi.”

The investigation then widened. Officers reportedly uncovered green vegetable matter resembling ganja inside a Ziploc bag in a room at the house.

Brown later took investigators to a separate location — her shop — where another quantity of similar green vegetable material was allegedly found in a clear plastic bag.

She was again cautioned in relation to the discovery of what appeared to be ganja. Her response, according to court records, was, “Dat a mi little hustling dat mi do at di bar.”

When the case was mentioned in court the clerk disclosed that several pieces of evidence were still outstanding, including a forensic certificate, statements from corroborating and escorting officers, a ballistics certificate, as well as a scene-of-crime CD and accompanying statement.

Paris told the court his client disputes the ammunition allegation and is prepared to provide a DNA swab for forensic comparison. He also submitted that she is a suitable candidate for bail, with appropriate sureties in place.

Judge Fairclough-Hylton subsequently granted bail in the sum of $300,000 with up to three sureties, and imposed conditions requiring Brown to report to a designated police station on set days.

The matter is scheduled to return to court on May 21 for case management.