Vincentian held in Barbadian drug squad operation

09.MAY.08

A Vincentian man who gave his address as Retreat, Vermont, and occupation as car-washer, appeared in a Barbados Court on Tuesday charged with supplying, trafficking and importing 1,106 pounds of marijuana within the territorial waters of Barbados on May 2nd.{{more}}

The Barbados Nation reports that MacKlen Samuel, 42, was held in the Bds$3 million drug bust, which took place about 11 nautical miles off the Bridgetown Port, in a joint Barbados Coast Guard, Police Marine Unit and Drug Squad operation.

Some 25 bags and six taped packages of marijuana totaling 1,106 pounds were retrieved from the water after the boat capsized and sank during the operation.

The battered and bruised Samuel, who was remanded by Magistrate Pamela Beckles in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court, will re-appear in court on June 3rd. According to reports, he was shot in his face during the operation.

At press time, local police could not confirm, but SEARCHLIGHT’s Barbadian sources indicate that two other Vincentian men and a Barbadian man were killed during the bust. No bodies have been recovered.