Jahmel Blakeney, son of Government MP Glenn Blakeney, is behind bars today after being found guilty of possessing more than $5,000 of cannabis with intent to supply it.

Convicting the 26-year-old after a trial, Acting Magistrate Edward Bailey scolded: "Drugs is the scourge of this community and it's ruining a lot of people's lives and it's a great threat to this economy. This court takes it very seriously when people gets into the business of using and selling drugs."

Blakeney responded to his conviction and the Magistrate's comments by staring at the ceiling and floor of the courtroom.

Mr. Bailey ordered a background report, and will sentence him at a later date. Meanwhile, Crown counsel Robert Welling put the court on notice that he will be seeking jail time for Blakeney who has previous convictions.

Asked after the case whether he continues to support his errant son, Mr. Blakeney Sr, MP for Devonshire North Central, said: "I don't know if I would necessarily say 'support' in the context of what's happened. He's my son and like all my children I love them unconditionally. It's an unfortunate situation. It's regrettable and I feel extremely disappointed, however, at the end of the day it is what it is."

Mr. Blakeney, who has four other children, declined to comment further saying: "If justice has been seen to be done, then there's not much I can actually say about it."

The trial heard how the defendant was arrested during a Police raid at his home in Stovell Bay Road, Spanish Point, on January 18. Officers were armed with warrants issued under both the Misuse of Drugs Act and firearms legislation.

According to Detective Constable Shannon Swan: "We had information that another subject was at the residence, possibly in possession of a firearm."

Another man, aged 22, was arrested during the raid along with Blakeney, but later released by the Police.

During their search, officers found a total of 112.57 grams of cannabis with an estimated street value of up to $5,625. It was found in two ziplock bags.

One was found hidden inside a microphone case at a recording studio at the residence. It was heat-sealed and contained 111.13 grams of the drug divided into four smaller bags. The rest of the cannabis — 1.44 grams — was found on top of a dresser.

The defendant pleaded guilty to possessing the smaller amount. While he accepted that the larger amount of cannabis also belonged to him, he pleaded not guilty to possessing it with intent to supply as he insisted it was for his own personal use.

Mr. Welling called upon Detective Sergeant Hayden Small of the Narcotics Department to share his expertise. The officer explained the drugs were found in heat sealed packages, designed to keep them fresh, and that the packaging indicated they were to be sold.

If the cannabis was bought in bulk, he said, it would have cost around $2,000 but it could then be divided into 0.5 gram twists and sold at $25 each for $5,550. The vendor would therefore end up with a profit of $3,500.

Cross-examining the expert witness, Blakeney, who did not have a lawyer, asked: "I would like to know if you are psychic or a mind reader?"

He went on to protest to the Acting Magistrate: "He's trying to say I have something with intent to supply. It was for my own personal use. They told me they only made it (a charge of) intent to supply because of the weight."

The officer repeated his evidence that the packaging of the drug indicated an intention to peddle it.

Blakeney also told the court he works as a part time producer for Hott 107.5 radio, a station owned by his father. He said he worked from the studio in Stovell Bay Road where the drugs were found.

Denying that $4,960 cash found inside a compact disc case at the residence represented the profits of previous drug deals, he insisted it was paid to him for his work producing commercials and mixes.

Blakeney also told the court he has smoked cannabis since the age of 15. "That's not a lot of weed. I would smoke that in a week and a half," he added.

His comment prompted Mr. Bailey to respond: "I used to be head of the narcotics squad in this country like 25 years ago. I can personally tell you that's a lot of weed to be smoking. You would have to be smoking all day to smoke that in a week and a half. This is a subject I know an awful lot about."

He ordered a pre-sentence report on Blakeney and ordered him to return to court on June 16.