Volney reduces record $25M bail

THE unprecedented $25 million bail set by Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls for five persons wanted in the US for drug trafficking offences, was yesterday reduced to $150,000 each for four of them by a High Court judge. Sitting in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court, Justice Herbert Volney reduced the bail for Jitram Sookdeo, Hafeez Mohammed, Ramesh Doon, and Indaryartee Dwarika. The fifth person, Ronald Rackal, had withdrawn his application for a reduction last Friday. His bail still stands at $5 million with surety to be approved by the clerk of the peace. The five, who were due to go on trial on November 1 with Andre Ravi Persad for trafficking 542 kilos of cocaine at Orange Field Road, Freeport on January 22 2001, were arrested by members of the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU) on November 30 on a provisional warrant for their extradition.

When they appeared before Volney on November 1, each of the accused was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 with a surety for the drug trafficking offences for which they were scheduled to be tried. However, when the fugitives re-appeared before McNicolls at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Eighth Court later that same day for the extradition matter, the historical amount of $5 million with surety was set for each of the accused by the magistrate. The five will re-appear before McNicolls on November 22.