Monos drug case adjourned

Victor “Hilo” Sylvester, Ramon Jarvis, Shaheed Ali, Alonzo Valera, Cesar Perreira, Freddie Garcia and Darwin Gonzales all appeared in the dock before Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim in a packed courtroom.

Ali and Sylvester are represented by attorneys’ Oscar King and Elvis O’Connor respectively. Venezuelans Valera, Perreira, Garcia and Gonzales are represented alongside Jarvis by attorney Ian Brooks.

Another Venezuelan Edwin Javier Maraval Rodriguez, had previously been charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine in relation to the incident but those charges were discontinued by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson on May 10. Rodriguez was later detained under Trinidad and Tobago immigration laws.

Brooks was not in court as he previously indicated his inability to attend Friday’s session. A date for the start of the preliminary enquiry into the charges was set by Lee Kim to October 27.

The men were arrested by the police in a sting operation last year at Monos Island on August 23, 2005. They were also charged with possession of arms and ammunition.