64-year-old man gets 1-year sentence for crack and unpaid fines

By Breaking Belize News Staff: A 64-year-old Belize City man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to possession of 0.11 grams of crack cocaine and acknowledging in court that he struggles with drug addiction.

Charles Llewelyn Bennett, a handyman of Freetown Road, appeared unrepresented in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug stemming from a police encounter on Monday, August 17.

For the latest conviction, Bennett was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. However, because of outstanding unpaid fines from previous drug convictions, he will have to serve a total of one year behind bars.

Court records reportedly show that Bennett has previous drug convictions dating back to 2007, 2008 and 2021. The Magistrate noted that Bennett had failed to make payments toward previous fines and determined that imposing another fine would be ineffective.

During mitigation, Bennett admitted that he is a drug addict but expressed skepticism about rehabilitation, telling the court that he had seen people participate in drug programs without changing their behavior. He also said that when he is working, he uses drugs less frequently.

Despite his reservations, Bennett agreed to participate in a drug rehabilitation program while incarcerated.

His outstanding default prison terms were ordered to run concurrently with his new three-month sentence. Because the longest outstanding default term is one year, Bennett will serve one year in prison.

The Magistrate told Bennett that once he completes his sentence and addresses the outstanding fines, he will leave prison with a clean slate and encouraged him to use the rehabilitation program as an opportunity for a fresh start.

According to police, officers on motorcycle patrol on Craig Street saw Bennett riding a bicycle after allegedly exiting a known drug yard. Officers stopped and searched him and reportedly found a matchbox containing suspected crack cocaine and matchsticks in his pocket.

The substance was taken to the Queen Street Police Station, where police say it weighed 0.11 grams.

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