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Investigators from the police firearms and drug investigation unit used surveillance footage to find five men interacting with others before a targeted raid, including a 72-year-old man who has been accused of being linked to the largest drug case in the island’s history.
The revelation was made in Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday when Collin Ricketts, Clive Davis, Clayton Peart, Junior Haldane and Aubrey Sterling were arraigned on charges of violating the Dangerous Drugs Act.
“Ricketts contacted Peart and asked him to take a bus and he was then escorted to the location where the drugs were found. Sterling was a taxi driver and Ricketts asked him to meet at a specific location and they then escorted Peart to the location where the bus was found (in Havendale),” the investigator revealed.
“Prior to heading to the property (in Havendale), Ricketts, Davis, Haldane and Sterling were seen at a location talking to other individuals who were heading to the property,” the investigator further revealed, adding that the footage had been sent to experts in the Communications, Forensics and Cyber Crime Unit for analysis.
The charges allege that on August 6, police received a tip that a man was present at an Airbnb property on Riverside Drive in Havendale. Police raided the property with a search warrant and seized 5,569 pounds of a white powdery substance similar to cocaine, with an estimated black market value of US$72 million, or about 11.2 billion Jamaican dollars.
Police allegedly found 29 woven bags in a car at the property and 62 similar bags in a room at the property. Investigators said police found Peart hiding inside the house while Haldane and Sterling were hiding in the back of the car. Davis was allegedly working as a lookout. Earlier this week, the two men were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of cocaine, distribution of cocaine and distribution of cocaine.
The matter was heard by Parish Judge Maxine Ellis, who was informed by prosecutors that discussions would be held with the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether the Parish Court had jurisdiction. In the meantime, Ellis ordered medical treatment for the defendants and asked police to collect their fingerprints.
They are being held in custody until October 9, when the case will be reopened. The case file is incomplete.
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