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St. Vincent and the Grenadines Seeks Return of Convicted Fugitive
Posted On 27 Mar 2014
The Central Authority under the direction of the Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, has successfully liaised with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines authorities to facilitate the apprehension of Desmond Pavy. This stands as another victory for the Central Authority in the co-ordination of efforts with regional counterparts in the fight against drug trafficking.
Pavy, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, is alleged to be unlawfully at large after being convicted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the offences of Possession of Controlled Drugs and Attempted Export of Controlled Drugs namely 214,288 grammes of cannabis.
Pavy, along with two other Trinidad and Tobago nationals, Jovel Espinoza and Terry Barrister, was sentenced in St. Vincent on 27th March 2013 to nine years each, to run concurrently on the charges of possession of controlled drugs and attempted export of controlled drugs. The sentence commenced from the date of his arrest, the 24thMay 2011.
Pavy unsuccessfully appealed both his sentence and conviction. His appeal was dismissed by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court on the 11th February 2013 and his conviction and sentence were confirmed.
Sometime on the 22nd February 2014, the authorities discovered that Pavy was no longer at the Belle Isle Correctional Facility. Intelligence reports revealed that he had been identified in Trinidad and a request was immediately made by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines authorities to Trinidad and Tobago officials to detain Pavy under a provisional warrant of arrest.
On the 21st March 2014, a Provisional Warrant of Arrest was issued by Acting Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington. Yesterday, Pavy, of Cumana Village, Toco was arrested by Northern Division Task Force Officers in collaboration with Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit (‘CGIU’) officers. Officers from Interpol executed the Provisional Warrant of Arrest and Pavy was brought before Chief Magistrate Ayers-Caesar where the charges were read to him and he was remanded into custody. The matter was adjourned to the 23rd April, 2014.
Attorneys Netram Kowlessar and Renee Charles appeared for the Requesting State.
The Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act, Chap. 12:04 provides for a Provisional Warrant of Arrest to be issued when there is information that a person accused of an extraditable offence or alleged to be unlawfully at large is or is believed to be in or on his way to Trinidad and Tobago. The Provisional Warrant of Arrest is a means of detaining a person pending formal extradition proceedings.
Pavy also has pending charges at the Sangre Grande Magistrates Court for possession of a dangerous drug for the purpose of trafficking namely, 305.3 kilogrammes of cannabis and possession of firearms and ammunition.
The Attorney General is committed to working with law enforcement agencies in the Caribbean and other international counter-trafficking bodies to confront and fight the scourge of drug trafficking.
The Central Authority has been very successful in extraditing a number of prominent wanted persons in recent times including, Keron Pierre who was extradited to the United States on the 23rd August 2013 to face charges relating to a triple homicide and attempted murder.
Doreen Alexander, a Trinidadian national, was also extradited to the United States on 31st March 2013 to face charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of Balram “Balo” Maharaj. Alexander pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit hostage taking and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for her role in the kidnapping. Alexander was also sentenced to serve five years of supervised release to follow her prison term.
In February 2012, Gary Govindass was extradited to the United States to face charges relating to the kidnapping of Vedesh Mohan. On 5thAugust 2013, Govindass pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit hostage taking. The extradition process relating to his alleged co-conspirator, Hassan Atwell is currently underway.
Further, Andy Nelson was successfully extradited to the United Kingdom on the 14th September, 2012 to face two charges for conspiracy to supply and import cocaine. On the 1st February, 2013 Nelson pleaded guilty to both charges.
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Dated:THURSDAY 27TH MARCH, 2014.
MINISTRY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
