By noon the Queen Street police station was under heavy guard as the cops took those two bales, plus the 23 more found close to the wreckage. That's a total approximate weight of 1,600 pounds or about three quarter of a tonne.
So, it's a huge drug bust but it yields no glory for the Ministry of Defence, and in light of the alleged involvement of several lawmen, rather casts a shadow.
Cherisse Halsall caught up with the COMPOL this afternoon to get his views on the bust and what it means for an obvious culture of drug trafficking that's taken root in his department.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"We took possession of the contents of the vessel and the individuals, they were brought here at Queen Street police station where the two Bales of suspected cocaine was weighed and amounted to somewhere around 78, no 64 kilos, about 70 kilos more or less, each bale contained 30 parcels of suspected cocaine, those individuals will be charged for the drug trafficking of that amount of drugs."
But while the charge for trafficking in that approximately 154 pounds of cocaine is likely to stick, the Commissioner explained that the rest of the similarly packaged product is likely to be labeled found property.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"We also went and we conducted a search in the area where the plane had landed, we managed to locate the plane but it was destroyed by fire a search of the area led to the discovery of 23 bales of cocaine or suspected cocaine, that too was taken into custody of the police and brought here and again each of those 23 bales, contained 30 parcels, or 30 bricks, that has also been weighed and just let me give you the total weight of that. It amounted to 732 kilos that, for now, will be labeled as found property as even though we can see that the packaging of the two bales found with the group of nine is the same as the packaging for the other 23, the fact that we did not found these individuals in the area where the 23 were found, it will be difficult for us to charge them for that amount of drugs and so, for now, it will be labeled as found property while we do some investigation to see if we will be able to tie them to the second fines and so we see that there is where we are right now."
Still, he's hoping they can make an example of Talbert, Claire, Roland, and the others.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"It makes me feel good to know that we're catching them and hopefully, the rest who are involved will get the message because if they don't then they'll suffer the same fate as these ones and the ones before."
Williams seemed satisfied with the arrest but we did our best to keep him humble.
Cherisse Halsall:
"Critics would say that this was a crash landing, and if it hadn't been a crash landing you guys wouldn't have intercepted this one, what would you say to that?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Then I say to the critics that, um, perhaps they were the pilot."
