Alleged Drug traffickers heading to HC in May!
According to court records from the High Court Registry, the hearing will be heard before Justice Rita Olivetti on May 1, 2012.
Bob Hodge, Roberto Harrigan, Juan Valdez, Carlton Beazer and Chad Skleton are facing extradition to the Southern District of Florida for alleged conspiracy to import cocaine, while a similar request for Hodge was made by the North Carolina authorities.
On March 13, 2012, Senior Magistrate Valerie Stephens had ruled in favour of the Crown to have the accused men be extradited and informed them of their right to make a habeas corpus petition in the HC.
The lawyers had filed petitions between March 27 and 28, 2012, the court records revealed. A habeas corpus is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention, that is, detention lacking sufficient cause or evidence.
Following her ruling, Senior Magistrate Stephens had remanded the men to Her Majesty’s Prison, Balsum Ghut “until such time to await the decision of the Governor.”
Therefore, if the petitions are denied, one legal expert explained to this news agency, the Governor can hand down his decision “almost immediately”.
At a special hearing held on February 3, 6 and 24, 2012, the defense lawyers for the men put forward arguments as to why their clients should not be extradited, with the main reason given that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had applied the 1987 legislation, which does not have the USA on its list.
Hodge was represented by Julian Knowles, QC; Skelton by Tana’nia Davis-Small; Richard Rowe for Beazer; Stephen Daniels for Valdez and Patrick Thompson for Harrigan. Appearing for the Crown were former DPP Terrance Williams and Senior Crown Counsel Valston Graham.
It is alleged that the men were involved in a 13 year trans-Atlantic drug trade where approximately 4,518 kilogrammes of cocaine were airdropped in Virgin Islands' (VI) waters.
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