A Rastafarian who "found'' 800 grams of cannabis and thought it was "a gift from the Father'' was imprisoned when he appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

"I found this ganja. I got lucky and unlucky. I thought it was a blessing from the Father (Jah),'' Ryan Keith Swan told Senior Magistrate Will Francis.

Mr. Francis was unmoved and jailed Swan, 27, for two years for having the $39,000 worth of cannabis.

Swan, 27, pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis to an unidentified person, possessing cannabis, possessing it with intent to supply, and possessing drug equipment.

The Broken Hill Lane, Smith's Parish man told the court he found the cannabis near Devonshire Recreation Club, but was caught with it at home on September 29.

Crown counsel Larry Mussenden told the court that when Police narcotics officers executed a search warrant at 12.30 p.m. that day, they found .2 grams of cannabis on the arm of a couch.

Mr. Mussenden said Swan told Police the cannabis was for his personal use and when told the apartment would be searched, he told them there was another bag in the refrigerator.

Police found one bag weighing 629.4 grams in the fridge and another containing 22 small packages weighing a total of 154.6 grams.

Drug equipment and .83 grams of cannabis were also found in Swan's bedroom.

Before he was sentenced yesterday, Swan told Mr. Francis: "I'm just asking that you be lenient. I found it behind Devonshire Rec.

"I can show you I'm not in the game. I guess I really should have just turned it in. It was a finder's keepers kind of thing. I supply my bredrens (brethren) and give thanks to the Father.'' Mr. Francis told Swan that although he gave him the "benefit of the doubt'', there was some evidence of the drug being for supply.