Officers of the Special Investigations Unit, the accused and their legal representative, and officers of the Magistrate’s Court assemble for a Special Sitting of the Court. Photo: RVIPF

One of the bales is weighed in the presence of the court. Photo: RVIPF

The content of one bale, which includes on average 30 blocks of cocaine, is laid out on a table for viewing. Photo: RVIPF

The content of one bale is placed in the bin just prior to incineration at the plant at Pockwood Pond. Photo: RVIPF

The content of the one bale is incinerated. Photo: RVIPF

The Senior Magistrate gave the destruction order for 16 bales following last Thursday’s July 30, 2015 Special Sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at the Road Town Police Station where she inspected the content and weight of each bale, and ordered that a sample of each be retained for evidential purposes. Present at the sitting were RVIPF Special Investigations detectives, representatives from the DPP’s office, the two men charged for possession of the cocaine and their legal representative.

The two men, Didier Steevenson Triana Gomez, 22, of Venezuela and Julio Leonard Minaya Tejeda, 20, of the Dominican Republic, were also both charged with unlawful possession of prohibited ammunition under the new Firearms and Air Gun (Amendment) Act.

The two were occupants of a boat intercepted near Ginger Island in May of this year during an interdiction operation led by U.S. law enforcement agencies. A third male occupant, Serge Jacques Sylvain Tinturier, 47, born in Metz, France, was fatality wounded during that operation.

The 16 bales of cocaine were seized from the boat while the additional bale was later recovered off Norman Island. Each of the 17 incinerated bales weighed over 32 kilograms for a total of 553.36 kilograms and an approximate street value of $55.3 million.

As is customary, a member of the Police Service Commission was present to witness the destruction of the drugs.