After hearing evidence from two dozen witnesses over the course of six months, Senior Magistrate Valerie Stephens on Friday found four men guilty of drug-trafficking offences in connection with a 2008 cocaine bust, and acquitted two others.
The men, along with Chesley Balkaran, were arrested after police seized 61.2 kilograms of cocaine, valued at more than $1 million, from a hidden compartment aboard the sailboat Liseron, docked at the Hodges Creek Marina.
Mr. Balkaran pleaded guilty in April 2008 to importation of a controlled drug, unlawful possession of cocaine and being concerned in the supply of cocaine. He was sentenced to four years in prison and served as a witness for the prosecution in the trial of the other men.
Dexter Chance, Carlos Sutherland and Gareth McDowall, extradited from St. Vincent, where the boat originated, were each found guilty on Friday of importing cocaine.
Dale Nibbs, of the Virgin Islands, was found guilty of importing cocaine and conspiring to supply cocaine to another. He was found not guilty of unlawful possession of cocaine, as Ms. Stephens said the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he was ever in possession of the boat or the cocaine on board.
Coy Penn and Asif Glasgow, also of the VI, were each acquitted of importation of cocaine, conspiracy to supply cocaine to another, and unlawful possession of cocaine.
See the Oct. 13, 2011 edition for full coverage.