Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

'This 14-day quarantine ain't making sense!'- Defendant in $30M drug bust

'This 14-day quarantine ain't making sense!'- Defendant in $30M drug bust

Lambert Estate resident and certified boat captain Nickel Simon, who was charged with Cryton Browne, along with Wilferedo Lopez Vargas and Hober Morillo Ybarbia from Venezuela, following a $30 million drug bust in October 2019, has spoken out against the Magistrate’s Court policy that mandates that anyone travelling into the territory to conduct face-to-face business at the court must undergo a 14-day quarantine period.

Magistrate’s Court Manager Annette Williams-Sylvester said through a statement in January 2021 that the policy would take effect from January 25, 2021, and will be a way to safeguard staff and occupants of the courts from COVID-19.

Since her policy was announced, Minister for Health and Social Development Honourable Carvin Malone (AL) announced on April 23, that commencing May 15, 2021, fully vaccinated travellers to the territory would be free to explore the territory after their day Zero test is negative for the COVID-19 virus.

The Minister noted that fully vaccinated persons would be required to take the PCR test within five days of their arrival, provide proof of their vaccination and be tested on arrival to the territory, which must be negative.

“I rather have him here …this 14-day quarantine ain't making sense,” Simon remarked, referring to his lawyer, Jason Hamilton from St Kitts, who was unable to be present physically to fight his legal battle.

Trial almost didn’t start


The start of the trial; however, almost didn’t happen yesterday, May 18, 2021, when attorney E. Leroy Jones told the court that he was speaking on behalf of Simon because he was unrepresented at the time.

Mr Jones is the legal representative of the Venezuelan natives.

Mr Jones told the court that initially, Patrick D. Thompson/ PST Law was paid to represent Simon during this proceedings, but Thompson is out of the territory and suggested that a Kittian lawyer, Mr Jason Hamilton handle the matter.

Venezuelans Wilteredo Lopez Vargas, left, and Hover Morillo Ybarbia, right, were charged for the importation of 309 kilograms of a controlled drug, cocaine and illegal entry to the Virgin Islands. They were remanded to prison.


14-day quarantine!


According to Mr Jones, Mr Hamilton was informed by the administrators of the magistrate’s court that he would have to quarantine for 14 days to qualify to attend court for the matter, as per their policy.

Jones said this is notwithstanding that Hamilton took his two COVID-19 jabs.

The attorney explained to the court that Simon is in this predicament because Hamilton was unable to secure a flight that would enable him to quarantine for the two weeks to be able to attend court physically as per the request of Simon, who preferred to have his attorney on the ground.

Following Jones announcement and the subsequent legal arguments on the matter, the presiding magistrate Mr Jack Husbands said the matter had to go on in the interest of time and justice and stated that Hamilton should appear via zoom for the trial.

The US Coast Guard officers who aided in the matter will be giving evidence first, followed by the local law enforcement agencies.

The men were all charged with Importation of a Controlled Drug and Possession of a Controlled Drug with Intent to Supply, and the Venezuelans were given an additional charge of Illegal Entry.

The matter at hand occurred on October 27 2019, and the trial was expected to commence on January 18, but it was adjourned to this week because the Crown added a new charge to the men, Possession of a Controlled Drug with Intent to Supply.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×