Five Men Depart BVI As DPP Proceeds
Five men who recently had major cocaine charges dismissed have left the Virgin Islands and returned to their home countries. Despite their departure, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is moving ahead with its appeal formally lodged with the Court of Appeal in St Lucia.
Five men who had drug charges dismissed in connection with a major cocaine bust have now departed the British Virgin Islands, even as prosecutors move forward with an appeal challenging the court's decision. Sources confirmed that the men departed the Territory earlier this week and returned to their respective home countries in Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic.
Despite their departure, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, acting on behalf of the Police Commissioner, has formally lodged the appeal with the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal in St Lucia and confirmed the appeal has not been discontinued. The appeal seeks to overturn a ruling by Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards, who upheld a no-case submission and dismissed charges of importation of a controlled drug and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply against Joel Santos, Francisco Ortiz, Candido Quezada, Cesar Abrahim, and Ronald James.
In the notice of appeal, prosecutors argued that the magistrate's decision was unreasonable and could not be supported by the evidence. The five men were arrested alongside a sixth individual after police intercepted the cargo vessel C Elizabeth II near Virgin Gorda in December 2025.
The sixth man, Jermife Toribio Vasquez, who captained the vessel, previously entered a guilty plea to the charges. During court proceedings, police officers testified that individuals on the vessel were seen throwing packages overboard as law enforcement approached. Officers subsequently retrieved 32 bags of suspected cocaine from the sea and discovered three additional bricks on board the vessel.
However, defence attorney E Leroy Jones argued that the prosecution failed to demonstrate that the five crew members had custody, control, or knowledge of the illicit cargo, while also challenging the reliability of visual identification. Following the dismissal, the men were initially kept in detention, which Jones strongly criticized as unlawful.
The attorney argued that his clients had been brought into the Territory from international waters, held no legal status or domestic ties in the BVI, and could not lawfully be held once all criminal charges against them were dismissed. With the men now back in their home countries, the matter rests with the Court of Appeal to determine whether the dismissal stands or if further proceedings will be ordered.
Primary source: BVI News