The case against Lance Small

THE COURT has ruled and Lance Small is set to go to Fort Lauderdale to face charges of possession of high-powered firearms. Small, a businessman of Gonzales, is a member of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, and one of the 114 who were charged with murder, treason and other offences arising out of the 1990 attempted coup. He is also known as Olive Enyahooma-El, and “Fires.” Senior Magistrate Joanne Connor ordered Small’s extradition to the United States to face charges. The Grand Jury in Florida has indicted Small and it is now up to the US Marshals to come to Trinidad to take the wanted fugitive back to face the charges. The trial will take place at the United States Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. Small is charged with conspiracy to possess 60 AK-47 rifles, ten MAC-10 machine guns, and ten silencers — a charge which carries a US $250,000 fine and ten years in jail if convicted. What is the evidence in the US against Small? There are three main witnesses — John Doe, Keith Andre Glaude, and Special Agent Steve Mc Kean.

John Doe is a Trinidadian who will appear as a prosecution witness at the trial. He joined the Muslimeen in Trinidad in 1992. He described himself as a confidant of Jamaat leader Yasin Abu Bakr. He said he met with Small in Brooklyn, New York in 1994 and assisted him in getting false US Immigration and Naturalisation documents and a social security card. John Doe, whose real name has been kept a secret, said that while he was in the US, he was supplied with cocaine which he sold in Connecticut. He returned a substantial amount to the Jamaat and kept some for his own expenses. He said that in March 2000 he called Small at his business place in Trinidad and advised Small that he had a source in the US who was in possession of $40,000 in cash from drug sales. John Doe told Small he wanted to invest the cash by buying a large quantity of firearms. He asked Small to broker the transaction and promised that someone would call Small. He listed seven dates on which he spoke to Small in 2000. Keith Andre Glaude is another witness in the case. Glaude, a Trinidadian, was arrested on May 30, 2001 and later jailed for two years for his role in the conspiracy. He has since agreed to testify against Small, whom he described as a friend.

Glaude said that while visiting Trinidad in February 2001, he ran into Small at Carnival celebrations.  During this meeting, Glaude said Small gave him a pager number and asked him to meet with an individual in South Florida in order to pick up AK-47 rifles and place them in a storage facility where Small’s associates could later take custody of them. Glaude travelled to Fort Lauderdale on May 30, 2001 and took possession of the guns. It was there that he was arrested by special agents. On the instructions of Special Agent Steve Mc Kean, Glaude said he called Small and informed him that he had stored the firearms. Small asked, “Everything cool?” to which Glaude responded affirmatively. Glaude told him that the silencers were very impressive at which time Small hung up the phone. On June 27, 2001, Mc Kean displayed a photo line-up consisting of six individuals where Glaude positively identified Small as the person whom he was hired to receive and store 60 AK-47 rifles, ten MAC-10 machine guns and ten silencers. Steve Mc Kean is an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

He said in February 2000, he debriefed a confidential source — John Doe — about the possibility of meeting Small. He said that on April 17, 2000, he called Small, the first of several calls. Another call was made on September 19, 2000 to Small’s office in Trinidad. During that call, Small told Mc Kean he could sell an AK-47 for $4,000 in Trinidad. On March 5, 2001, Mc Kean said Small left two messages on his pager. As a result, Mc Kean called Small who advised that an individual named “Mr Mourning,” later identified as Glaude, would be arriving in South Florida the following day to meet with him. Mc Kean said on April 17 and 18, 2001, Glaude left numerous messages on his pager claiming he was in town. On May 29, 2001, Mc Kean said that he and another agent Vincent Curry, acting as undercover agents, met with Glaude in Fort Lauderdale and discussed the transfer of the weapons to him.

That meeting took place in the car park of a Hooters Restaurant. Mc Kean told Glaude that there were machine guns and silencers which were to be delivered to Small in Trinidad. The following day, Mc Kean met Glaude, who inspected 60 AK-47 rifles, ten MAC-10 machine guns, and ten silencers. That meeting took place at an empty warehouse in Fort Lauderdale. He said they both called Small at his residence and confirmed the transfer of the weapons to Glaude. After Glaude loaded some of the weapons into a van, ATF agents arrested him. When interviewed, Glaude said Small had sent him for the weapons. He then directed Glaude to call Small and recorded the conversation confirming the successful receipt of the firearms. The weapons were to be placed in a container of furniture and placed at Port Everglades for shipment to Trinidad.