Two men who were arrested and charged with the possession of drugs following a
police operation have been convicted by a magistrate.
The men – Cleveland Telemaque, 59, of Golden Grove, and Elni Jose Bernard, 29,
of Nut Grove – appeared before magistrate Ngaio Emanuel-Edwards in the All
Saints Magistrate’s Court.
They were arrested and charged following a police anti-drug operation on May 26
at the Parham Harbour. At approximately 1 a.m., officers, including members of
the Crime Management Team, commenced their duty at Parham Wharf.
While on duty, the officers spotted a 20-foot vessel named “Lenci 2” being
operated by Telemaque. They intercepted the vessel and conducted a search, which
resulted in the discovery of five brick-like substances resembling cocaine, as well
as a cooler containing Yoplait drinks.
Telemaque and Bernard were present during the discovery. Both men were
subsequently taken to Police Headquarters, and the vessel was towed to the Coast
Guard Base. They were jointly charged with possession of cocaine, possession
with intent to transfer, being concerned with cocaine, and importation of cocaine.
The substances were later weighed and determined to be 10.9 pounds of cocaine in
total. It is reported that the controlled drug has an estimated street value of
$173,047.00.
Search warrants were also executed on their properties and one pound of cannabis
was found at the home of Telemaque.
When they appeared before the magistrate, Bernard pleaded guilty to possession of
cocaine and being concerned with the supply of cocaine while the other charges
were withdrawn. He was sentenced to six months in HM Prison on one charge and
fined $58,000.00 on the other charge.
All the charges related to cocaine were withdrawn against Telemaque. However,
on the possession of cannabis, he was fined $18,000.00. Both men will serve a 6-
month sentence should they fail to pay their respective fines.
Meanwhile, in a separate joint exercise on the same day, officers from the
Narcotics Department, supported by members of the Customs Task Force,
commenced their duty at Deep Water Harbour around noon.
During the operation, a dark-blue barrel was searched, revealing multiple vacuum-
sealed packages containing marijuana.
A total of 56 packages weighing 56 pounds were counted. The estimated street
value of the seized marijuana is $336,000.00.
The barrel and its contents were transported to Police Headquarters for further
investigation.
