KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man facing additional charges of possessing and trafficking cocaine has had those charges dropped after forensic analysis showed the substance he was arrested with was a type of paste, not cocaine.

Troy Jackson was, however, remanded in custody on the original charge of aggravated robbery when he appeared in Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

According to court documents, the claimant, a voluntary worker, refused to provide the accused with a care package. It is alleged that when the plaintiff was walking down the road with the care package, Jackson used a knife to rob the plaintiff.

But Jackson, who said he was working on the garbage truck at the time, told the court he only picked up a tissue, a roll-on and soap from the ground.

Correcting Jackson for stealing the items, Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell said: “But I never saw any weaving trees. You stole the items.”

He has been assigned legal aid for his next court appearance on January 13, 2025.

Jackson was remanded in custody.

— Kelsey Thomas