The Port-Louis court granted bail yesterday, Wednesday, May 29, to Louis Roland Coco. This fisherman from Riambel was provisionally accused of possession of 4,889 cannabis seeds for cultivation purposes, with an estimated value of Rs 488,900. An offense committed in violation of articles 30(1)(f)(i) and 47(5)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, August 3, 2023.
Magistrate Ameerah Dunnoo struck out the provisional charge, pointing out the absence of sufficient facts to reasonably suspect that the accused was in possession of the cannabis seeds. She recommended: “Until and unless the reasonable suspicion threshold is not met, the police should not be exercising its powers of arrest and lodging of provisional information, irrespective of the seriousness of the suspected offense. »
During the hearing, Sergeant Veeriah of the Souillac police station testified under oath, indicating that a search carried out by the special intelligence cell of the Special Supporting Unit (SSU) in the fisherman's yard had discovered a plastic bag containing cannabis seeds, hidden under gravel. However, during cross-examination, he admitted that the land where the seeds were found was adjacent to the defendant's property and did not belong to him, and that the land, not being fenced, was accessible to everyone.
The decision of the Souillac court follows a motion by the fisherman's lawyers, Messrs Neelkanth Dulloo and Kavi Veeriah. They requested the dismissal of the provisional charge against their client, arguing that there was no evidence directly linking him to the seized seeds. The magistrate clarified that her decision does not prevent the police from continuing their investigations and, if necessary, from initiating new legal proceedings against Louis Roland Coco.
