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OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

Kingstown

Granby Street,

OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS
Grenadines
Telephone: Fax: 01-784-457-1344/ 01-784-485-6903

St. Vincent and the

Your Ref. No. .

Our Ref. No. ..

MEDIA RELEASE

Four (4) nationals of Barbados were convicted of multiple drug offences at the High Court in Kingstown today, Tuesday the 4th of June 2013. The four are Joel Ole Man Payne, 51, of Bank Hall, St Michael; Ryan Corbin, 36, of Cave Hill St Michael; Shawn P Boucher, 37, of Lower Estate, St George; and Devon Hurdle, 39, of Rendevouz, Christ Church. The men were apprehended by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard four-and-ahalf (4 ) miles off Fancy Point, on the North Eastern coast, with Seven Hundred and SeventyFour Thousand Five Hundred and Twenty-Four (774,524) grammes or One Thousand Seven Hundred and Six (1,706) pounds of cannabis (marijuana) on board a Barbadian-registered pirogue Rolling Deeper bearing registration number X349 on the 13th of July 2012. Payne, who said he owned the Twenty-Three (23) foot long go-fast vessel, claimed that he left Barbados the previous day with his colleague Boucher to go fishing. He said they went close to Saint Lucia but caught no fish. It was then, according to Payne that they decided to come to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He said that while here, another vessel came with some packages and started loading them on his boat. He said that they set sail for Barbados, but while on their way they turned back after hearing the sound of a plane circling overhead. It was while making this return journey that the Coast Guard intercepted them. Petty Officer Edwin Durrant said that he headed a part of four officers who were on patrol, when the vessel was spotted on the radar. Durrant said the vessel was travelling slowly and he gave instructions for them to stop and his instructions were complied with. When the vessel was boarded, a total of Twenty-Four (24) sacks, each containing taped packages with the drugs were found on the vessel.

However, no fishing gear, tackle or any storage facilities for fish was found on board the vessel. During the course of the trial, the men changed their plea to guilty of the four counts on which they were charged: Possession of controlled drugs with intention to supply; Attempted export of a controlled drug Drug trafficking; and Conspiracy to traffic in drugs.

Sentencing of the four Barbadians has been adjourned by Trial Judge the Honourable Mr Justice Wesley James, to the 28th of June 2013. The Barbadian convicts face a maximum of Twenty-Five (25) years imprisonment and a fine of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) for the charge of possession with intent to supply charge; Twenty-Five years imprisonment and a fine of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) on the attempted export charge; while the drug trafficking and conspiracy charges both have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The crown has indicated that it intends to seek forfeiture of the vessel as well as pursue confiscation proceedings against the men. This conviction comes almost three (3) weeks after seven (7) nationals from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago were convicted here for drug trafficking offences, after they were caught with Seven Hundred and Forty-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty-Four (749,554) grammes of cannabis (marijuana) or One Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty-One (1,651) pounds of cannabis (marijuana). At the time, it was noted that it was the first time in more than a decade that anyone was prosecuted in the High Court for a drug trafficking offence. The case for the crown was conducted by the Director of Public Prosecutions Colin Williams and Crown Counsel Karim Nelson, while the Barbadians were represented by Mr Grant Connell.

Dated this 4th day of June 2013


Colin Williams Director of Public Prosecutions

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