A husband and wife have been brought before Magistrates’ Court, charged alongside a Pembroke man with possession of cannabis.

All three admitted having the drug, at the couple’s residence on Pigeon Rock Lane, Pembroke.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told the court that police, acting on information given, came to the home with a search warrant at 7.40pm on May 18 last year.

They found Orlando Blair, 31, sitting in a bedroom that smelled of cannabis. A woman was also present, but charges against her were later dropped.

Police found a hand-rolled cigarette, plus a bag containing five plastic twists and two foil packets.

Blair told them it was his and for his own personal use. The total amount was 28.25g, Ms Smith said.

The Crown declined to proceed with possession with intent to supply, and Blair admitted in court to simple possession.

Resident Robert Mac Ronald, 31, was charged along with his wife, Tracy MacRonald. Both pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis.

The court heard Mr MacRonald returned to the home while police were searching it. He told officers he had a small amount of cannabis in the room he occupied with his wife.

Police seized a number of containers of cannabis, plus a scale, scissors, a grinder and some hand-rolled cigarettes.

Mr MacRonald admitted to police the drug equipment was his. Plant matter for a clear plastic twist, plus a hand-rolled cigarette, were also taken from his Mrs MacRonald and found to contain 5.44g of the drug.

Mr MacRonald’s effects contained 1.31g, 4.59g and 1.34g of cannabis respectively.

Requesting a fine for Blair, lawyer Elizabeth Christopher told the court her client was a father of three and sole provider for his family.

But Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo responded: “You can’t come in here and plead ‘I’ll lose my job, I’ve got children’ when you play with fire.”

Ms Christopher protested that her client had been in a private area and not risking causing harm to another person.

Mr Tokunbo questioned why defendants holding far smaller amounts than Blair could still get charged with possession with intent to supply.

“I don’t understand the reasoning behind it,” he said, noting that the highest fine for simple possession was a $1,000 fine.

Lawyer Dantae Williams asked for a conditional discharge for Mrs MacRonald, the mother of a nine-year-old child, and a fine for her husband, the breadwinner of the family.

Mr Tokunbo fined Mr MacRonald $1,000, but ordered social inquiry reports on his wife and on Blair before their May 28 sentencing.