Rastafarian family in court over dagga

2012-08-20 20:34

Picture: Shuttertstock

Cape Town - A Rastafarian man, his wife and teenage daughter appeared in the Simon's Town Magistrate's Court in Cape Town on Monday on charges of dealing in dagga.

Gareth Prince, 43, his wife Juanita Adams, 40, and their daughter, Samantha Jeromine Adams, 19, appeared before Magistrate Crystal McKenna.

The matter was postponed to 23 October and they were not asked to plead.

Prince had a previous conviction on two counts of dagga possession. His criminal record prevented him from adding his name to the roll of duly-admitted attorneys from the Cape Law Society in 2002.

The Princes live in Glen Cairn Heights with their four children. He works as a legal consultant for an NGO.

At their first court appearance on June 7, on the charge of dealing in dagga, defence attorney Naven Pillay explained to the court that Prince used dagga strictly on a religious basis.

Prosecutor William Daniel told the court their appearance was the result of a police raid on their family's home on June 6. Police, responding to a tip-off, seized 81 dagga plants and 500g of dried dagga with an estimated street value of R100 000, the prosecutor told the court.

Prince was out on R2 000 bail, while his wife and daughter were out on R500 bail each.

- SAPA