ST THOMAS, Jamaica— A man who claimed that the police wrongfully destroyed his ganja field in Dumfries, St Thomas last month has been hit with multiple charges by the cops.

44-year-old Royan Harris, a resident of Dumfries, was charged by Narcotics Detectives yesterday with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Harris, although bald headed, had claimed that is a member of a Rastafarian faith and had permission to grow the weed for religious purposes.

Police sources say that on February 18, detectives from the Narcotics Division conducted an anti-narcotics operation at the home of Harris during which 113 ganja plants were seen being grown on the roof deck of his house.

An adjoining field, which he identified as his, was found with 806 growing ganja plants, the police said.

Harris allegedly told the police that he had a licence to cultivate the ganja for sacramental purposes. He told the cops that he was going into the house to retrieve the licence but instead fled through a rear door.

Following investigations, it was revealed that no licence was issued to Harris. A warrant was then obtained for his arrest and the cultivation destroyed.

Harris was subsequently handed over to the Narcotics Police by his attorney-at-law and was charged with the offences of, possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and cultivating ganja .

He is to appear before the St Thomas Parish Court on March 12.

Arthur Hall