NASSAU- An Eleuthera drug dealer caught with 5 ½ ounces of cocaine has paid a $5,000 fine to avoid spending one year in prison.
Martin Percentie, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply after police found the drugs separated in multiple packages in his home on November 17.
The court also seized $8,347.20 found in Percentie’s home.
The cocaine could have fetched $1,254 on the streets.
In sentencing, Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt said, “I hope it will serve to send a clear message that embarking in a criminal enterprise does not pay. If that’s your lifestyle, I suggest you cease and desist.”
Percentie’s lawyer Ian Cargill said that the fisherman was remorseful for what he’d done. According to Cargill, Percentie had a tumor on his chest and that surgery had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The magistrate said, “Anyone with a condition will go on a straight path rather than pursue a criminal enterprise. This is not acceptable.”
