Three Vincentian men who were extradited to the Virgin Island then convicted on drug importation charges have had their conviction quashed by the appeal court, Virgin Islands News Online has reported.
The ruling on Monday paves the way for Dexter Chance, Gareth McDowell and Carlos Sutherland to return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The men were convicted of the drug offence on Oct. 7, 2011 and sentenced on July 3, 2012 and spend five years in jail.
The Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands quashed the drug importation conviction, saying that the then magistrate erred in law in relying on a certificate of analysis not bearing the name of the defendants.
The men’s encounter with law enforcement officials in the Virgin Islands came after police there found 61 kilos of cocaine on-board a chartered vessel on Jan. 23, 2008.
Police said that the cocaine came from St. Vincent and alleged that Chance, McDowell and Sutherland were involved.