Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Three Bermudians are being held in Puerto Rico in connection with a drug importation conspiracy.
Shawn Simmons, Antone Russell and Raymont Francis were arrested after their sloop S/V Phantasia was intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard patrols in the Caribbean on December 12.
Customs agents reported finding 16 bales of marijuana and one brick of ‘what appeared to be hashish’ that were ‘in plain view’ on the vessel.
In a sworn affidavit to the District Court of Puerto Rico, Special Agent Roxana Pulido of the American Drug Enforcement Agency provided outline details of the investigation.
She said the boat was initially spotted by Coast Guard cutter Dauntless ‘in an area prominently used as a drug trafficking route’.
Spotlights
The cutter lit the boat with spotlights and hailed the vessel in Spanish and English. The Phantasia changed course but was intercepted by the Coast Guard.
A second Coast Guard cutter — CGC Farallon — arrived on the scene and conducted a search of the boat, after gaining authority from the Governor of Bermuda.
Special Agent Pulido’s statement continues: “The boarding team located in plain view a total of 16 bales of marijuana and 1 brick of what appeared to be hashish inside the vessel.
“U.S. Coast Guard officers conducted a field test of the contraband which resulted positive for the presence of marijuana.”
The 16 bales of marijuana weighed 319.8 kilograms, according to the agent’s testimony.
As customs officers performed the field test the ship’s captain Shawn Simmons and engineer Antone Russell are reported to have asked if ‘it was good weed’.
According to the statement the United Kingdom waived jurisdiction of the vessel to the United States on December 21.
A hearing was held on December 23 in San Juan, Puerto Rico — which is under US criminal jurisdiction — and the DEA submitted a criminal complaint of ‘conspiracy to possess a controlled substance on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States’.
According to officials in Puerto Rico, the three men are being held in federal prison at the Metropolitan Detention Centre.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: bermudasun.bm
Author: James Whittaker
Copyright: 2010 Bermuda Sun Ltd.
Contact: Contact Us - Bermuda Sun
Website: Bermudians held on suspicion of smuggling
Shawn Simmons, Antone Russell and Raymont Francis were arrested after their sloop S/V Phantasia was intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard patrols in the Caribbean on December 12.
Customs agents reported finding 16 bales of marijuana and one brick of ‘what appeared to be hashish’ that were ‘in plain view’ on the vessel.
In a sworn affidavit to the District Court of Puerto Rico, Special Agent Roxana Pulido of the American Drug Enforcement Agency provided outline details of the investigation.
She said the boat was initially spotted by Coast Guard cutter Dauntless ‘in an area prominently used as a drug trafficking route’.
Spotlights
The cutter lit the boat with spotlights and hailed the vessel in Spanish and English. The Phantasia changed course but was intercepted by the Coast Guard.
A second Coast Guard cutter — CGC Farallon — arrived on the scene and conducted a search of the boat, after gaining authority from the Governor of Bermuda.
Special Agent Pulido’s statement continues: “The boarding team located in plain view a total of 16 bales of marijuana and 1 brick of what appeared to be hashish inside the vessel.
“U.S. Coast Guard officers conducted a field test of the contraband which resulted positive for the presence of marijuana.”
The 16 bales of marijuana weighed 319.8 kilograms, according to the agent’s testimony.
As customs officers performed the field test the ship’s captain Shawn Simmons and engineer Antone Russell are reported to have asked if ‘it was good weed’.
According to the statement the United Kingdom waived jurisdiction of the vessel to the United States on December 21.
A hearing was held on December 23 in San Juan, Puerto Rico — which is under US criminal jurisdiction — and the DEA submitted a criminal complaint of ‘conspiracy to possess a controlled substance on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States’.
According to officials in Puerto Rico, the three men are being held in federal prison at the Metropolitan Detention Centre.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: bermudasun.bm
Author: James Whittaker
Copyright: 2010 Bermuda Sun Ltd.
Contact: Contact Us - Bermuda Sun
Website: Bermudians held on suspicion of smuggling
