One of the four Trinidadians arrested in Petit Bordel on Thursday was left with a bandaged left eye after a woman reportedly hurled a bottle at them.
iWitness News was reliably informed that the woman pelted the bottle at the men when they were in police custody, alleging that one of them had threatened her with a gun sign.
Photographs released by police on Monday show Jayron Abraham aka Fatboy, 21, with a bandage covering his left eye.
However, the bandage had been removed by the time the man appeared in court on Monday, charged with possession, trafficking and conspiracy to traffic 240lbs of marijuana.
iWitness News understands that police had to take a firm position with residents of Petit Bordel after the men were arrested.
Reports are the residents speculated about possible links between the men and two shooting deaths in the North Leeward community the previous weekend.
On Sept. 29, Othnell Lavia aka Curtell, a 37-year-old farmer, died after being shot in Petit Bordel sometime around 2 a.m.
His death followed that of Stanran Stapleton aka Standpide, who was shot and killed in the village on Sept. 27 — 20 years after his father was killed in the village.
Abraham along with fellow Trinidadians Damian Baptiste aka Tall Boy, 29, Shaqkeim Bolah aka Myng, 21, Isaiah Phillips aka Izee, 23, and Jayron Abraham aka Fat Boy appeared before the Serious Offences Court in Kingstown in connection with the marijuana.
Vincentian Tevin Matthews, of Petit Bordel, was jointly charged along with the four Trinidadians that between Feb. 1 and May 4, at Petit Bordel, they conspired to traffic the drug.
Police are alleging that the Trinidadians had the drug in their possession with intent to supply it to another at Petit Bordel on Oct. 3, the same day they allegedly had it in their possession for the purpose of drug trafficking.
The Trinidadians pleaded “guilty with an explanation” to the charges at their arraignment before Senior Magistrate Colin John on Monday.
Matthews pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.
The prosecutor, Inspector Renrick Cato told Senior Magistrate Colin John that in light of the Trinidadian’s plea, he was asking the court to enter not guilty pleas for them and adjourned the matter to Wednesday.
As regards bail, the prosecutor said he was not aware that the Trinidadians had sufficient ties to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
He said there was nothing stopping them from leaving the country “just as they arrived”, adding that the prosecution was fearful that if granted bail, the men would not return for trial.
Cato said he had no objection to Matthews’ bail but asked the court to demand sufficient surety, order that he surrender his travel document and that the court issue stop notices and impose reporting conditions.
The magistrate entered not-guilty pleas for the Trinidadians and adjourned the matter to Wednesday, ordering that they be remanded into custody until then.
He granted Matthews EC$25,000 bail with one surety and ordered him to surrender his travel document and report to the Chateaubelair Police Station on Mondays. The court also ordered that stop notices be posted for Matthews.
After the matter was heard, a police officer informed Matthews that a senior detective from the Major Crimes Unit wanted to have a conversation with him.
All five defendants left the court in the pan of a police pick-up.
There needs to be an extra news section to report on what the cops are doing to fight crime and what is going on in Government as far as crime is concerned. The way crime is rising in SVG there could be a newspaper with only crime and it would be full.
dem look happy eh, very scary.