MONTEGO BAY, St James — Even though crucial video evidence cannot be retrieved from a phone, prosecutors have indicated that they will press ahead with a drug case against two men. Dwight Blake and Kimani Henriquez are charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act in connection with the alleged discovery of ganja and 15 pounds of cocaine during a search of a boat on a premises in St James. On Wednesday, when the matter came up, the court heard that police visited a property where eight men, including Blake and Henriquez, were present.
During a search of the location officers allegedly found a bag containing ganja. Police said Blake, under caution, admitted that he had brought the bag onto the property for the group. The court further heard that additional checks were conducted after Blake allegedly indicated that the men intended to use one of the boats on the property to travel to an island located offshore.
A search of the vessels reportedly led to the discovery of another bag in the front section of one boat, which contained cocaine weighing 15 pounds. Fifteen pounds of cocaine were found during a search of a boat on premises in St James.. Following the discovery Blake and Henriquez were arrested and charged.
The court was not provided with the date of the incident. During Wednesday’s proceedings the court was informed that video footage connected to the cocaine discovery would not be available for use in the case. The clerk explained that the phone containing the footage had been submitted to the Communication Forensics and Cybercrime Division (CFCD), but authorities have faced difficulties retrieving the material.
The prosecution has been awaiting the compact disc with the footage since April 15. The Crown has since indicated that it will proceed without the footage. Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce set the matter for trial on September 9 and extended the men’s bail.
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