Police in St. Lucia have charged one of their Vincentian counterparts and three other men with drug possession charges after they were arrested there on board a boat on Thursday.
The police officer, Colin Stay, a corporal with over two decades of service, Lamar Spooner, Desserand Stay and Deno A. Lewis aka Taff have been remanded in custody until Thursday.
They are charged with possession of controlled drugs and possession with intent to supply and could face immigration charges.
In a video update on Monday, St. Lucia police officer, Shervon Matthieu, an inspector of police in charge of the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit, said the men were arrested during an “intelligence-driven operation” in Vieux Fort, located in the South of St. Lucia.
Matthieu outlined the case against the four men, saying that they were intercepted while disembarking from an unregistered blue and white vessel.
“They were found in possession of suspected control drugs and other restricted imports,” he said but did not disclose the nature or quantity of the drug or restricted imports.
“On site, Customs, Immigration and officers from the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit conducted preliminary investigations,” Matthieu further said.
He said that the accused were then transported to the Vieux Fort Police Station where they were formally informed of their rights.
He said that in addition to the drug charges, immigration authorities are reviewing potential violations, including unauthorised entry and suspected prohibited immigrant status.
“Restricted imports which were on the vessel were confiscated by the Customs and Excise Department,” he said, adding that the items included “marine products and illegally imported goods”.
“The customs and immigration officials continue to assess additional charges, including improper importation and unlawful entry,” he said.
iWitness News was reliably informed that the St. Lucia police are alleging that the men had a quantity of marijuana and conch on board the vessel.
All four men are said to be from Fancy, located on the northeastern tip of St. Vincent.
Has this surprised anyone? The RSPF is an organization that is known to be corrupt. There are some good police officers who work ardently to perform their duties. There is an old Vinccentian adage that goes like this, ” One mange sheep spoils the flock”. This is a truism.
The RSPF is no stranger to scandals and has its fair share of it . Two years ago a Junior Constable was charged in an alleged rape case involving a church minor. Here it comes again an allegation of drug trafficking involving one of our finest.
The source of the problem lies in.police recruitment of recruits. The entry system for officers must follow best practices and not be based who you know or cousin of a cousin. Better screening will cater for weeding out recruits who may have are susceptible to be involved in such unscrupulous behavior. Then and only then we will have a better RSPF to respect it’s mission statement.
Where are the comments
Greed is helluva thing! Look how this officer especially, throws away all his years of service, for a few extra dollars. Y’all were set up!