Men charged in 1800-pound ganja case to return to court in January

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Three individuals implicated in a significant narcotics bust involving 1,890 pounds of ganja are set to face further legal proceedings in January 2026. Patrick Branford, Leon Hines, and Naman Banton appeared before Parish Judge Paula Blake Powell on Tuesday. Notably, Hines remains in custody as his bail application is still pending. The trio was allegedly intercepted by the Firearms and Narcotics Division on August 15 while attempting to transport the compressed ganja to one of Jamaica’s ports of entry. They face multiple charges, including conspiracy to export ganja, possession of criminal property, trafficking, dealing in ganja, and preparatory steps to export the substance. The prosecution highlighted that a forensic certificate related to the seized drugs is still pending, prompting the court to schedule the next hearing for case management on January 6, 2026.