jail for two and a half years.

O'Shane Darrell, of Cochrane Lane, Sandys Parish, pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting another man, not before Magistrates' Court, in supplying heroin on April 9, at Broome Street in Sandys Parish.

However Magistrate Edward King found him guilty and then sentenced him to prison for two and a half years with time spent remanded in custody to be taken into account.

The court heard during the trial that Darrell was arrested in Operation Cleansweep after being involved in a hand-to-hand drug transaction that led to the supplying of heroin to undercover US Drug Enforcement Agent Doug Treasurer.

Mr. Treasurer testified that he bought $50 worth of heroin from another man and that man was handed the drug by Darrell.

But Darrell denied throughout the trial that the transaction involved heroin.

He said he handled cannabis which was rolled into a cigarette and later smoked.

However, the transaction and the handover of the drug to the man from Darrell was videotaped and no-one was seen smoking a marijuana cigarette. The tape was watched on six occasions.

Mr. King said Darrell was recorded making a twist and handing it over to his accomplice. The tape provided a "living testimony of the transaction'' and its authenticity was not challenged by the defence.

He added that there was no need to deal with the other man involved in the transaction -- who he termed "the primary offender'' -- before dealing with Darrell -- the "secondary offender''.

And he pointed out that Darrell could have been charged with supplying heroin although it was the prosecution's choice not to.

Mr. King said the prosecution had proved "beyond reasonable doubt'' that Darrell had aided and abetted the supply of heroin in this case.

He said the offence was a serious one and the court had to be consistent in the sentences it meted out for it.

"The cancer of drugs in the society must be brought under control before it destroys the fabric of the community.'' Mr. King said he had been shown no extenuating matters in Darrell's case to warrant him being lenient in sentencing. This required an immediate custodial sentence, he added.

After taking into account Darrell's clean record and his youth, Mr. King sentenced him to two and a half years imprisonment.

"We all make mistakes,'' he said. "All you have to do when you fall down is get up, dust yourself off and start off again on the straight and narrow road that takes you to where you want to be in life.''