The Tribune

A MAN who, with two others, was convicted in Magistrate’s Court in connection with a $6 million drug smuggling operation appeared in the Court of Appeal yesterday hoping to be granted bail pending his appeal.

However, 38-year-old Dion Minnis of Rupert Dean Lane will have to wait longer to have his application heard, as the court requested that his attorney Dion Smith provide thorough, detailed reasons in their affidavit seeking bail.

Mr Smith, who serves as deputy speaker of the House of Assembly, yesterday addressed Justices Anita Allen, Christopher Blackman and Abdulai Conteh on behalf of his client.

The court wanted to know when the attorney had filed his affidavit with the court.
Mr Smith said he did so on September 4, but had only two days ago become aware that the prosecution had not received a copy.

Crown prosecutor Ambrose Armbrister confirmed that his team had only just received the document.

Having looked through it, Mr Armbrister said he noted that Minnis’ position on the exceptional circumstances warranting bail appears to be ambiguous, as it only refers to the constitutional rights of the appellant.

Mr Smith said it was his intention to provide the court with a detailed position in the submissions aspect of the appeal.

However, the court pointed out that this information should have been included in the affidavit and adjourned the matter to allow Mr Smith to properly complete the affidavit.

Minnis was convicted of conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs on August 31. Also convicted were 37-year-old Stephen Stubbs of Ridgeland Park and 57-year-old Selva Hudson of Sisal Avenue.

They were accused of conspiring with 51-year-old David Arlington Colebrooke between September 5 and 30, 2009, to import and possess dangerous drugs in Williams Town, Exuma, with intent to supply.

According to the evidence, 3,935 pounds of marijuana came from Jamaica and was dropped off in Williams Town.

Colebrooke, who was out on bail at the time but is now on the run, had taken a boat into Nassau where police were waiting to arrest him, having used wire tap methods to catch him in the act.

At their trial, Minnis, Stubbs and Hudson denied guilt and testified that they had no involvement in any drug smuggling scheme.

However, the magistrate told Stubbs and Minnis that based on the evidence presented by the prosecution, which she accepted, she believed them to be major players in the operation.

Minnis was given the maximum sentence of five years imprisonment for the two charges of conspiracy. He is appealing both his conviction and sentence.