A 31-year-old contractor, Khemraj Lall, has been fined $30,000 and sentenced to two months in prison after being caught with 62 grams of marijuana concealed in three Pringles tins at Aurora Gold Mines in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

When Lall appeared before Bartica Magistrate Teriq Mohammed on Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to possessing narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, and the sentence was immediately imposed.

The incident began at 11:00h on Monday when Kevin Chester, a security officer at ZinJin AGM Inc., noticed Lall carrying four bags and decided to conduct a routine search of his belongings at the mining site along the Cuyuni River. During this search, Chester discovered three Pringles tins inside one of the bags. Upon opening the tins, he found bulky parcels filled with leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be marijuana. One of the tins contained another plastic-wrapped parcel of the same substance.

When confronted about the contents, Lall admitted ownership of the narcotics, responding simply with “Yes.” Following the discovery, Chester informed his supervisor, Winston Adams, about the findings. The suspected drugs were weighed in Lall’s presence, totaling 61.2 grams, and were securely sealed and marked for evidence. A statement was taken from Lall, and the matter was subsequently handed over to the police.

On Tuesday at approximately 12:15h, police arrested Lall at the Ogle International Airport and took him to the Sparendaam Police Station to assist with the ongoing investigation. Security officer Chester officially handed over the seized drugs to the police, who continued their investigation leading up to Lall’s court appearance on Wednesday.