An Edinboro man has been granted EC$60,000 bail on charges related to 11 kilograms of cocaine seized by police in Kingstown on Saturday.
Julian Moore, 45, appeared before the Serious Offences Court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges that on Aug. 17, at Kingstown, he:
- had in his possession 11,054 grammes of cocaine for the purpose of drug trafficking;
- had in his possession 11,054 grammes of cocaine with intent to supply it to another; and
- unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm on Cornel Williams, of Redemption Sharpes.
iWitness News understands that the prosecution is alleging that Moore inflicted grievous bodily harm on Williams, a police officer, by striking him with a vehicle that Moore was allegedly driving.
Prosecutor Inspector of Police Renrick Cato informed the court that the matters would be tried summarily.
Defence Counsel Grant Connell also agreed to a summary trial.
Cato did not object to bail but asked the court to demand sufficient surety, order that Moore surrender his travel documents, issue stop notices, as well as impose reporting conditions.
The prosecutor also asked that the trial of the matter take place before the Serious Offences Court.
He further informed the court that the street value of the cocaine is EC$30,000 per kilogram.
However, Connell told the court that in giving a street value, Cato was trying to link the value and the bail sum.
The lawyer told the court that bail in similar matters had been set at between EC$80,000 and EC$100,000.
However, the prosecutor said that he was informing the court of the value of the substance as the bail sum is up to the court.
Senior Magistrate Colin John set bail at EC$60,000 with one surety. He ordered Moore to report to the Central Police Station on Fridays and surrender his travel documents.
The magistrate also ordered that stop notices be posted at ports of entry and exit.
The trial is slated for Oct. 8.
Why do we treat ourselves this way.
Cocaine is a poison to the nation and has a negative effect on the homicide rate. Addiction is another issue, given that there are not enough social scientists to address the problem. Our porous borders allows for undetected smuggling of narcotics.
An inept police for and corruption at the highest echelon of our ministry of national security allows plane to enter and exist without a valid explanation. Recently, a plane landed on Cannouan and exited with a log. The explanation given by the authorities was that the transponder was turned off and not a disappearance. What a country.