TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Two men who were nabbed in 2016 after they were found cultivating a half-an-acre of ganja pleaded guilty to breaching the Dangerous Drugs Act when they appeared in the Trelawny Parish Court yesterday.

The men, who have been identified as 51-year-old businessman Mark Green and 54-year-old farmer Gary Perry, both of Duncans in Trelawny, were granted bail in the sum of $400,000 with surety. They are to return to court on Thursday, April 25.

According to the Narcotics Police, the men were charged jointly with the offences of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and cultivating ganja following a ruling from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The men were originally arrested during an operation in Hyde district, Trelawny on Friday, March 4, 2016. Along with the growing plants, detectives also found 88 pounds of compressed ganja in a hut on the farm. During a subsequent interview, they told detectives that they were growing ganja for research and produced documents. They were released while the investigation continued.

It was subsequently found that neither had been issued with a licence, hence a case file was prepared and submitted to the ODPP for a ruling.