CANNABIS SEIZURE, OTHER DRUG SUSPICIONS KEEP POLICE BUSY

Last week was a busy one for the Royal Montserrat Police Force (RMPF).
On Thursday, police officers searched a number of persons in the
northern community in Dick Hill and as a result arrested and charged
two persons with possession and trafficking of drugs.

Commissioner of Police John Douglas said that in keeping with their
mission statement, "We will intensify action against drugs
trafficking."

The two young men, Gregory Chambers and Keith Farrell, both
Montserratians, were arrested and charged with being in possession of
a large quantity of "cannabis sativa" that was found on their
premises. The drugs were seized and the two men were taken before the
Magistrate's Court. They denied the charges and were released on bail
in the sum of [Eastern Caribbean Dollars] $7,000.

Commissioner Douglas said the police reported that the drugs were
already prepared for marketing. "In terms of packaging," Mr. Douglas
said, "they were all ready for the international market. The cannabis
was well compressed and packaged."

When the young men were being questioned, but prior to the search, one
made his escape from the police but eventually gave himself up on
Monday morning, just in time to be taken to court, where they were
released on bail at $7,000 each.

Meanwhile police have not released the name of a schoolboy who was
found with "marijuana" in his possession. The police are making
investigations as to the boy's possession of the illegal drug.

25-FOOT BOAT GROUNDED AT RENDEZVOUS BEACH

Other sources have attempted to link the above boat by the police with
another report from the Police which prompted Commissioner Douglas to
tell The Montserrat Reporter there were always suspicions that boats
have been knocking on our shores.

"Boats have been using our coastal waters, particularly on the
southern side and involved in drugs smuggling," he said.

The boat that came aground less than two weeks ago was found at
Rendezvous Beach. The owners allegedly claimed that they went fishing
off Redonda [a tiny uninhabited island in sight of Montserrat], where
they developed some engine problems and as a result were knocked to
shore over in Rendezvous.

The police reported that the men were rescued by Montserrat fisherman
Charles Tuitt, who later accompanied the police marine section back to
Rendezvous, by which time one of them made their escape. The police
found the boat packed with stones.

The one man who apparently disappeared before the police arrived at
Rendezvous is Montserratian Cobett Jeffrey, and the other was Edmund
David of Dominica, both who said they had traveled from Antigua.

Mr. David was held for four days, charged on suspicion drug
traficking, but was released. Mr. Jeffrey in the meantime had
surrendered to police, explaining that he was responding for a call,
which was put out by the police for him.

The police said they were suspicious of the men's appearance at
Rendezvous, believing the operations to be somewhat "clandestine,"
especially after one of the men was found to have in his possession
over $3,000 in cash protected in a sealed plastic bag.

The two men who claimed that they had gone to fish off Redonda were
eventually released after the police interviewed them but got no
useful information.