A GRANDMOTHER who admitted to using drugs after her husband walked out on her was yesterday sent for rehabilitation.

Marilyn Pharan, 50, who lives in an apartment across the street from the Mon Repos Police Station, was found with 27.27 grammes of marijuana around 5.30 p.m. on Thursday.

PC Hankey executed a search warrant at Pharan's Building Nine, Apartment A, home and found the drugs in her living room.

Before the court yesterday, the mother of five said she started using the illegal substance eight months ago after she and her husband separated.

She said she was a labourer with the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and also cared for her two grandchildren.

San Fernando Magistrate Roger Ramgoolam sent her for counselling.

"I want you to go there and attend classes for a while," the magistrate said.

He told Pharan that should she make progress during the sessions, it will weigh in her favour when she is to be sentenced.

Pharan was placed on her own bond of $10,000 and ordered to return to court on June 10.

As proof that she attended the classes, she is to carry to court a book, signed for each time she was present at the sessions.

Pharan's neighbour also faced the court yesterday, charged with trafficking marijuana.

Lennox Legendre, 46, was found with 1.1 kilogrammes of the drugs at Building Seven, Apartment C, along the Naparima/Mayaro Road, Mon Repos.

PC Dookhie executed a search warrant and found the illegal substance in Legendre's bedroom.

Legendre told the court yesterday that he was given the drugs to keep for a man who promised to return the following day. He said that the police came before the man.

Ramgoolam suggested to Legendre that that man may have been the one who called the officers.

He fined the first-time offender $10,000. Should the CEPEP worker not pay the money in 15 weeks, he will spend one year in jail.

"You're too old to be getting involved in something like that," Ramgoolam told the father of two.