Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves pondered the appropriate punishment for a 21-year-old man he felt was a drug supplier after he admitted possessing cannabis during a session in Magistrates' Court earlier this week.

Duty counsel Veronica Daley asked Mr. Greaves to consider alternatives to incarceration for Freemont Swan, pointing out his "tender age" of 21.

However Mr. Greaves said that being young was not an excuse for his actions.

Ms Daley also asked that a social inquiry be done on the Fentons Drive, Pembroke man to "get to the root of the problem".

But Mr. Greaves denied the request saying: "He's a supplier, come on."

"He's been convicted of possession. That's a bit of a jump from possession to supplying," Ms Daley contended.

Mr. Greaves then asked her what the sentence should be. "What can I do to him? I'm trying to think of something."

He laughed at the idea of giving Swan community service, saying: "That sounds dangerous to me, unless you're going to send him to the fields of Ecuador. What are we going to do - give him probation? He'll start laughing so hard if we use that word with him. You're only pretending if you think he just doesn't know what the evils of drugs are. Re-education isn't an option. He'll only learn more about the evils of drugs, and the secrets of the business - find a way to make more money."

Mr. Greaves continued: "You'll have to sentence him to church. Get him baptised or something else and wash his sins, as those Christians would say.

"Look, we just have to accept that there are some people we have to send to jail. Otherwise, we might as well shut them all down."

The Crown told Mr. Greaves they were not necessarily seeking incarceration for Swan, to which he replied: "Leave the sentencing to me."

Mr. Greaves finally decided to fine the man $750.

Crown counsel Juan Wolfe said Swan was arrested on March 20. At 3.20 p.m., Swan was standing at the junction of Court and Elliot Streets when a marked Police car stopped nearby.

Officers said Swan looked at the vehicle, put his hand in his pants pocket and ran away.

The defendant was followed and searched at the nearby Jamaican Grill. Found during the search was a hand-rolled cigarette containing plant-like material. Police analysts found the substance to be 0.18 grams of cannabis.