Reggae star on drugs charges

Grammy nominee Buju Banton today pleaded not guilty to marijuana possession charges when he appeared in a Jamaican court on Monday.

Police were conducting routine anti-drug raids in the capital Kingston last week and officers found three fully-grown marijuana plants in the reggae star’s home, authorities said.

He faces six months in jail and fines if convicted. Banton, who is on bail, will appear in court again on January 9.

Banton’s Friends for Life album was nominated last week for best reggae album at the annual Grammy Awards.

Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, first gained prominence as a teenager in the early 1990s when he recorded several songs which condemned homosexuality and glorified the shooting of gay men.