GRENADA INFORMER – Two out of five men captured last week during a major operation on the high seas that netted four hundred and twenty pounds of marijuana have been granted bail and three remanded to the Richmond Hill Prison.
Securing bail were Kenny Morain from Beausejour in St. George’s and David Alexander of Cherry Hill in St George. Bail was posted in the sum of $250,000.00 with two sureties, both men are to surrender all travel documents and report to the Central Police Station every Monday and Friday between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm.
The other three men, boat captain Victor Vesprey from the Carenage in St. George’s, David Daniel from Vendomme in St. Georges together with St Vincent national Jamal Rogers were all remanded to the Richmond Hill Prison to await their next court date set for August 16th.
All five men were spotted in a small boat during a morning intelligence-driven operation last Thursday carried out by members of the Drug Squad with assistance from the Grenada Coast Guard.
According to information reaching the Grenada Informer, the small wooden boat used by the men was intercepted on the high seas close to Beausejour in St. Georges, a search carried out on the boat by the officers revealed several bags containing the banned drug marijuana.
Sources said moments after the boat was intercepted, the captain of the boat, Vesprey fled the scene he was captured the following day. Also captured the following day was Rogers.
During their brief stint in court on Monday all five men were legally represented; Daniel, Vesprey and Rogers by Jerry Edwin and Morain by Anselm Clouden. Alexander’s lawyer Derrick Sylvester was not present for Monday’s sitting.
The total amount of drug netted during the operation according to the prosecution was 420lbs with an estimated street value of $957,096.00.
Meanwhile, as it relates to charges, Morain and Alexander according to the prosecution have been charged with conspiracy to import a controlled drug while the other three men, Vesprey, Daniel and Rogers face charges of possession and importation of a controlled drug. The prosecution has also indicated that all charges are indictable. If convicted the men can be fined three times the value of the drug or be imprisoned for upwards of fifteen years for those facing more than one charge.
With the exception of Rogers whose record is not known to the authorities in Grenada, the other names linked to this offence are no strangers to the justice system, Daniel has had six previous convictions, all drug-related, Vesprey 16 previous convictions and Morain 12 previous convictions among them, a ten-year prison term for his role in the 2008 killing of Black Bay businessman Anthony Frederick.