Nicholas Thomas of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will serve two years in jail before he is deported from Antigua following his conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to transfer it to others.
Thomas was also sentenced to one year in jail for possession of the four kilograms of cocaine, and that sentence will run concurrently with the two-year sentence. In addition to being jailed, he was ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 forthwith or he would be jailed for six months.
He allegedly entered the country by boat and did not present himself to immigration to get an entry stamp. Meanwhile, Bertail Roberts, who was also charged for breaching immigration laws, was fined $12,000 forthwith or one year in jail. This is the second time he has been convicted for failing to present himself to immigration after entering the country by boat.
The cocaine possession and intent to transfer charges which he faced jointly with Thomas were dropped after he pleaded not guilty. At the same time, a third man who was caught at Falmouth along with Thomas and Roberts in July 2018, was also convicted in the All Saints Magistrate’s Court. Glenroy Pierre pleaded guilty to possession of a little over two pounds of cannabis and was fined $10,000.
He had to pay $3,000 forthwith and the balance must be delivered by the end of June. Wonderley Lavia, who lives in Falmouth and was jointly charged with Pierre, pleaded not guilty and the allegation was withdrawn.
The Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) conducted the counter-narcotics operation in the Falmouth area last July and busted the group. Roberts, Thomas, Pierre and Lavia were all represented by Michael Archibald.