Attorney plays the race card

Attorney Ian Brooks, who appeared for Victor Sylvester, 37, and Saheed Ali, 30, told Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim that his clients were in fact entitled to bail, and asked that bail be set at an appropriate sum.

In his submission, Brooks told the court that Sylvester was extremely ill and needed proper care.

"Despite an order by the court for my client to be fed and given his medication at specific time periods, this is not being done. It is so bad that my client was brought to court here this morning unfed and not given his medication. If it means that my client has to surrender his passport, and be ordered to visit a police station several times per week, then so be it," Brooks argued.

The attorney also argued that had different persons been involved in the highly publicised drug bust, the court would have very little or no problem at all setting bail for the accused persons.

"If this was a person with a different ethnic background, the court would feel almost entitled to grant bail," argued Brooks.

The two Trinidadians were among eight persons arrested in a sting at Monos Island, Chaguaramas, on August 23. The bust saw the seizure of 1,735 kilogrammes of cocaine estimated at $700 million. Arms and ammunition were also reportedly seized.

Also appearing before Lee Kim yesterday were Venezuelans Edwin Javier Maraval Rodrigues, Alonzo Valera, Casar Pereira, Freddie Garcia and Darwin Gonzales and Antiguan Ramon Jarvis. Lee Kim will rule on submissions made by Brooks on behalf of Sylvester and Ali, on Friday.