By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
FIVE men, ranging in age from 23 to 42, were arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court on various drug related charges in connection with the recent seizure of just over $3m worth of marijuana in waters off Exuma.
Ricardo Cooper, of West End, Grand Bahama; Everette Burrows of Murphy Town, Abaco; and Travis Sears of George Town, Exuma, all stood before Magistrate Jeanine Weech-Gomez facing one count each of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply, as well as one count each of importation of dangerous drugs.
Cooper, Burrows, Sears, along with Keith Thompson and Randy Munnings, both of Williams Town, Exuma, were further charged with one count each of conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply and one count each of conspiracy to import dangerous drugs.
The five men were arraigned in connection with a drug seizure that took place on Saturday, August 26.
According to police reports, around 7am on Saturday, authorities went to waters off Williams Town, Exuma and intercepted a go-fast vessel. A total of 65 bales of suspected marijuana, weighing 3,201 pounds and with a street value of $3.2m, were discovered.
Only Cooper pleaded guilty to all four charges when they were read by the magistrate yesterday. The other four men pleaded not guilty.
Magistrate Weech-Gomez adjourned the matter to November 6, when Burrows, Sears, Thompson and Munnings will return to court for trial. They were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) until that time.
They have the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.
With regards to Cooper, however, Magistrate Weech-Gomez stood the matter down until Monday, by which time the matter would have been transferred to Magistrate Andrew Forbes, who she said will have full carriage of the trial. Cooper was remanded to the BDCS until then, and will be brought back to the Magistrate’s Court complex by an order of attendance.
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