Police in St Vincent have arrested and charged a nurse in connection with the 60 kilograms of cocaine found at the Owia Clinic in the northeast of the island, earlier this year.
Lucresha Nanton, 34, a resident of Owia, appeared before the Serious Offences Court on Wednesday, charged that on January 22, she had in her possession 59,939 grams of cocaine, with intent to supply; and possession for the purpose of drug trafficking.
The drugs were found inside a barrel at the clinic. It is said to have a wholesale value of over $1 million, and a street value of over $4 million.
Nanton pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Prosecutor Station Sergeant Renrick Cato did not object to bail, but he asked the court to order that Nanton surrender her travel documents, impose reporting conditions, and issue stop notices.
Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne said the bail amount would be “a heavy sum” and that she would have to “shackle” the defendant with other sanctions as finding a surety with that capability in the jurisdiction would be difficult.
Nanton’s lawyer, Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Marks, urged the court not to impose a bail figure that would amount to a denial of bail.
He said the nurse’s parents were trying to get a copy of their deed and her passport was in Owia, and asked the court if his client could surrender the travel document at the Owia Police Station.
The chief magistrate denied the application but set bail at EC$200,000 (US$74,000) with two sureties, and ordered that Nanton surrender her travel documents.
The accused was taken to prison after her court appearance, pending the satisfaction of her bail criteria.
Among the other conditions of her bail release are that she must report to the Owia Police Station on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The St Vincent court also ordered that stop notices be placed at ports of entry and exit and that Nanton obtains the permission of the court to leave the jurisdiction.
The charges came about three months after another St Vincent resident Rodney Thomas, 33-year-old sailor of Owia, was fined a total of $64,000 on charges of cocaine possession, and cocaine trafficking, stemming from a police raid at his home, just hours before the raid on the Owia Clinic.
Lucresha Nanton’s next hearing is set for June 20.
CMC/
