The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A THIRD man was yesterday charged in the Magistrate’s Court in connection with a recent seizure of more than $3m worth of cocaine.

The drugs were recovered by officers during a drug bust in Eleuthera late last month.

Michael Taylor, 37, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes accused of being in possession of a quantity of cocaine with intent to supply. The prosecution alleged he imported the drugs into the country on March 29.

He was further accused of conspiring to possess and import the drugs sometime between March 22 and 29.

During the hearing, he denied the allegations and the case was adjourned to September 1 for trial.

In the meantime, Taylor was granted $10,000 bail.

His court appearance came one week after Brandon Miller, 28, and Johnnie Emil, 45, were charged in connection with the same incident.

Police alleged Miller was found in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera with a quantity of cocaine, which they accused him of importing into the country on March 29.

They further alleged Miller, along with Emil, conspired to possess and import the “dangerous drugs” into the country, with the intent to supply sometime between March 22 and 29.

In March, police said local law enforcement — assisted by the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection and the US Drug Enforcement Administration — launched a comprehensive investigation after they received intelligence concerning an aircraft inbound to the country with suspected cocaine on board.

At the time, Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash reported that an aircraft had landed at Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera airstrip on March 28. He said when officials “commenced surveillance exercises”, they observed two individuals leaving the aircraft.

“They were searched, however, nothing (was) found in their possession. That operation continued on into the night. As the surveillance team and a search team continued their operation at the airstrip, sometime this morning at 9am, that surveillance team and the operational search team recovered from the airstrip some six multi-coloured bags each containing a large quantity of suspected cocaine. I can tell you when we completed the count it was 155 packages with the street value of $3.1m.”