Earl “Bob” Hodge may still be extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, but he probably won’t stand trial in North Carolina after a Monday ruling in his favour by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal.

 

The court struck down the government’s attempt to appeal High Court Justice Albert Redhead’s 2012 decision that Mr. Hodge should be tried in this territory.

Mr. Hodge, Roberto Harrigan, Chad Skelton, and Carlston Beazer all face allegations that they helped smuggle cocaine into the US through the Virgin Islands.

But while the US is trying to extradite all the men to stand trial in Florida, Mr. Hodge is the only one of the four who also faced possible extradition to North Carolina.

After Mr. Redhead ruled that the defendants should stand trial in the VI, the government took two separate strategies in an attempt to combat the judgment.

In regard to the Florida extradition request, then-Governor Boyd McCleary ordered another extradition hearing to be held (the legality of this second order was disputed by the defendants in February, and High Court Justice Vicki-Ann Ellis is expected to make a decision soon on whether it will be allowed).

Additionally, instead of ordering a second hearing for the North Carolina extradition request, the government took an alternative route: It appealed Mr. Redhead’s judgment. That appeal, however, was struck down on Monday without much of a fight from Attorney General Dr. Christopher Malcolm.

“You did the commendable and correct thing in conceding,” Justice Louise Blenman told Dr. Malcolm after striking the appeal down.

It now appears that the North Carolina extradition request is officially shut down.

Mr. Hodge’s attorney, Patrick Thompson, explained that the reason the Crown issued a second extradition request to Florida is because new evidence was uncovered in relation to that state after Mr. Redhead’s ruling. In North Carolina, however, prosecutors have no new evidence, he said.

“Justice Ellis’ long-awaited ruling will tell us whether he has also resisted extradition to Florida as well,” added the attorney.

According to prosecutors, the four men helped arrange for cocaine to be flown to South America and dropped in VI waters, where it was picked up by speedboats.