In late April, we broke the story of the customs officers under scrutiny for what we were told was 15 pounds of high grade marijuana that arrived in the country in a freight shipment from the US.
Well, it turns out it was actually 151 pounds of weed spread across 5 boxes. And today, 6 months later, two customs officers - a brother and sister - were charged for it. 7News was at the courthouse:
Attlee Castillo and his sister, Cheryl Castillo Moreno came to court this morning in a police Prado. The customs officers both wore hoodies, and Cheryl Castillo additionally wore a mask on her face. They were picked up at their home at 1:30 this morning - which their attorney objected to:
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"it was agreed yesterday because they have detained these persons, they have cooperated with the police, they have spoken, given information and so forth. And yesterday they were told, you and your lawyer or lawyers come to the station, come to the customs, let us handover. Cause you have to read the charge sheet to the person. 9:00, you come, we read the charge sheet, We go over to the courts. I am here on another matter in front of the Chief Magistrate. 1:30 a.m. they are banging down their doors. That's not how we behave in the profession. They know that there is an investigation from April. If they wanted to abscond, they would have done that. There's no need to do that."
In court they were read charges of abetment to import 151 pounds of high grade marijuana - with a street value in the millions of dollars. There was no objection to bail by DPP Cheryl Lynn Vidal and they were offered and met bail of $20,000 each. Their attorney Dickie Bradley spoke to the media outside court:
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"There is a single charge of a very serious nature. It is that they abetted a crime involving a large quantity of the good stuff."
"So there's one charge of abetment, meaning that you assisted, you facilitated the matter of moving in and out of the country a quantity of marijuana."
"These are very heavy allegations against these customs officers."
Reporter:
"A junior or senior customs officer, it is a heavy allegation. 69kg of marijuana importation."
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"Importation."
Reporter:
"Yes."
"Which is, which is the domain of the customs department. Did your clients, as it is alleged, in there, use their, their, their office….."
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"I have to say "no" before you finish."
Reporter:
"But that is the allegation, that they used their customs connections to facilitate this importation."
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"Because these are customs officers and as you have rightly picked up the, working where goods are sent out of the country and goods are brought into the country, so it would be a worrisome matter."
"But as you have said, and as I have pointed out to the chief magistrate, this is a very serious allegation. But it is an allegation."
Reporter:
"The investigation has taken months. It started in April. We're now at October. That's seven months of, one thinks, going over the facts with a fine tooth comb by the DPP's office. The DPP herself appeared. And, you know, she's not a woman or a professional easily overcome in these courts. Explain to me, do you think you will be able to prove your clients innocent?"
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"We have not seen an ounce of evidence as yet. So I have to emphasize this matter of allegation."
Reporter:
"Bringing charges like this against customs officers. It was not anything anyone took lightly. It was not approaching a willy nilly style where we will pick them up and we will hold them for a 48. It was done very carefully over a long period of time - one thinks taking advice. I'm saying that it's a serious allegation they face. You have not seen the evidence, but from what you heard there in court, you can see their cell phones were taken. Information was gotten from that. Are you confident that with the weight of the evidence that the police will produce, that you will be able to get your client off?"
Dickie Bradley, Defence Attorney
"We shall see what we shall see."
Attlee Castillo - who has been a customs officer for over 30 years - is assigned to Benque, while his sister Cheryl is assigned to the city.
For background we note that the weed arrived in 139 parcels spread across 5 boxes at the Queens bond warehouse - and - the allegation is that both of the accused had asked a fellow customs officers to clear it for them. That customs officer was told it would be body care products inside. Notably, police say key evidence came from one of their phones which was scanned and allegedly showed the accused making arrangements to have the boxes cleared.
