At around midday, police searched the residence of 48 year old Mathew MEREDITH at 31 ½ Miles on the Sarteneja Road.

Police told him they were looking for drugs and he admitted to having loose weed in the house, and weed trees at the back.

Police found that he had no less than a marijuana nursery, including marijuana drying in the house, 52 cloned marijuana plants, 40 marijuana plants in plastic buckets up to 3 feet in height, and 25 plants in the ground up to 5 feet 8 inches tall.

The marijuana plants were uprooted and burnt. Meredith was taken to the police station where he was hit with a battery of charges, mainly multiple counts of marijuana cultivation for one pound of loose weed, and marijuana trafficking.

He was arraigned at the Corozal Magistrate's Court this morning, and Meredith was no time; he quickly pleaded guilty but said that he had an explanation.

He told Magistrate Ed Usher that he used marijuana for medical purposes, as he suffers from anxiety. Meredith, who has been in Belize for 9 months, said that in Canada marijuana use is legal and he can grow it, but he did not know that the laws in Belize were different. He told the Court that he grew the marijuana plants for personal use and not for distribution.

He pleaded to the Court to give him a second chance and that he would discontinue planting since he now is aware of Belize's laws. The Prosecutor, however, objected to any leniency, pointing out that as a newcomer to Belize, Meredith should have learned about Belize's laws.

The Magistrate adjourned to the afternoon to prepare his sentencing. When Magistrate Usher returned, he decided to fine, and not confine the Canadian. He noted that Meredith was a first-time offender. He indicated to him that the offences carry a minimum fine of three years prison time plus $10,000.