A St. Andrew businessman who was charged with drug trafficking was freed in court on Friday after he submitted a licence proving that he is a legal ganja grower.
Samuel Harris was freed after prosecutors withdrew the charges before the St. Andrew Parish Court.
Four other men who were charged in the case were also freed.
Mr. Harris was arrested in February when police raided his home in Coopers Hill, St. Andrew, and seized more than 500 ganja plants.
The police also found several pounds of ganja in bags on the property.
A nursery equipped with fans and lights was also discovered by the cops.
But speaking with RJR News, defence attorney K. Churchill Neita maintained that his client is licensed to plant ganja and as such, did not commit any crime.
“Our submission was that he was not as capable of committing a crime in those circumstances because he never had the necessary mens rea or guilty mind and that he had been authorised by the ganja growers association so to do. We were able to produce documentation to prove that he had been authorised by the ganja growers association to grow ganja for medicinal purposes and having submitted those documents, the prosecution took the view that they would discontinue proceedings against him,” the attorney explained.
He said the other accused were visitors to the premises.