Kevin Greaves to Appeal Magistrate Ayana Baptiste-DaBreo's decision of having his $13k forfeited. Photo: VINO/File

When he did not rise to his feet to contest a point put forward by Magistrate Ayana Baptiste-DaBreo, together with the constant shaking of his head and turning to his colleague seemingly noting where he felt the Magistrate was erring in law as she read her decision were clear indications that Mr Daniels was prepared to contest the decision via an appeal in a higher court.

It was a case where the Crown had filed for permission to seize $13,514 they had relieved Greaves of during a drug bust back in November 2012. The cash was found on Greaves when he was taken into custody and arrested.

During the hearing of the matter Greaves had told the court that he was a well-established businessman with three high priced businesses. He presented a number of cheques to show payments made to him prior his coming to the Virgin Islands where he was busted with drugs and the cash on his person was taken by the police.

That was the case at the time he was arrested during the drug bust. He said he is the owner of a construction company, a restaurant and a heavy duty equipment company with equipment valued over $3ml and the day in question the cash which he was relieved of by officers of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) came from his trucking, excavation and side work.

He told the court that not all his payments were done via cash transaction and presented cheques to validate this. He said that the time of entering the Territory when arrested his intentions were to go bar hopping and to look for Latino women.

Greaves had served his 33 months sentence and is today walking free but is not prepared to have the RVIPF hold on to his cash.

Magistrate Baptiste-DaBreo told the court that she was not convinced that the cash he had in his possession at the time was from his business earning and owing to the fact that he had said that he was on the Territory to go bar hopping and to go seeking Latino women.

She pointed to the fact that he was prepared to leave the Territory the day after he was arrested and had already spent two days on island. He had also told the court that during the two days he had only visited one bar. There were other factors that she also pointed to including the Crown’s submission that they had cause to believe that the monies were from the illegal action of gambling.

She ordered that the monies be forfeited and Mr Daniels did not hesitate to rise to his feet to inform the court that his client will appeal the decision.