Five men to receive new trial date in multibillion-dollar cocaine bust

A new trial date is to be scheduled in the multibillion-dollar cocaine bust in Havendale, St Andrew, in which five men have been implicated, after the November 3 trial date was vacated.

The initial trial date was vacated last Thursday when the five accused appeared in the Home Circuit Court before Justice Leighton Pusey.

Two of the men, Junior Haldane, 72, and Aubrey Sterling, had their bail extended, while Clive Davis, 57, Collin Ricketts, 58, and Clayton Peart, 42, were remanded.

The defendants are scheduled to return to court on October 10.

On Thursday, when the matter was mentioned, the court was informed that Sterling’s lawyer, Ludlow Black, had relocated to Belize and had taken up a position as a magistrate.

Sterling, however, informed the judge that he was not aware of that development, but was advised by the judge that he needed to quickly secure another lawyer, as the matter could not proceed to trial without his attorney on board.

Consequently, the November trial date was vacated and an October mention date was scheduled for Sterling to update the court on his legal representation.

During the hearing, an application was also made for the court to order the release of the vehicle that was seized during the cocaine bust to its owner. As a result, the judge released the vehicle on a $100,000 bond to the owner, who was warned not to modify the car.

In the meantime, the prosecution informed the court that the Crown is ready to proceed and that the witnesses are ready.

The defendants, who were arrested last August following the $12-billion drug bust in Havendale, St Andrew, are charged with possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, trafficking cocaine and conspiracy.

They were arrested on August 6, 2024, when officers from the police’s Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division, accompanied by units from the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch, raided the premises and seized several knitted bags containing cocaine.

Approximately 2,600 kilograms, or 5,569lb, of the drug, with a street value of US$75.79 million was allegedly found during a three-hour operation.

The police were reportedly acting on information when they went to the premises, as the men were allegedly in the process of loading a bus with the bags of cocaine.

Haldane and Sterling were reportedly seen behind the bus and accosted after they ran.

However, during last month’s bail application, lawyers for the two men denied their involvement.

King’s Counsel Tom Tavares-Finson and Carole Phillips are representing Ricketts, while attorney-at-law Lloyd McFarlane is representing Haldane. Attorney-at-law Donahue Martin is representing Davis, while Tamika Dunbar is appearing for Peart.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com