Two Jamaicans accused of being the main players behind one of the largest marijuana fields to be uncovered in recent times in The Bahamas were dragged before the court to answer multiple narcotics charges.
The Jamaicans arrested and charged are 55-year-old Elton Spencer and 28-year-old Demar Jarrett, both from Westmoreland.
They were charged on March 24 with possession, cultivation, and conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply.
Our news team understands that Spencer and Jarrett pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Nathan Smith, the attorney representing the accused men, told the presiding magistrate that they were abused while in police custody, and were not informed that they had a right to counsel.
According to www.tribune242.com, drug enforcement officers uncovered and uprooted a huge marijuana field in East Grand Bahama worth a reported $16.8 million, the largest in years.
The marijuana plants were said to cover more than 27 plots and scattered over some two miles of land.
Investigators are theorising that drug activities between Jamaica and The Bahamas have heightened.
According to Supt Samuel Butler, officer in charge of the Drug Enforcement Unit, Bahamians are connecting more with Jamaicans and opting to grow marijuana in The Bahamas rather than take the chance of getting it from somewhere else and being caught by the police.
THE STAR understands that The Bahamian authorities are now under the impression that 'cultivation is on the increase'.
"Bahamians are now connecting with Jamaicans who understand how to do that level of farming. So there is this combination of Bahamians and Jamaicans running cultivation farms. It's safer for them to do it at home than buy from abroad. It's less of a chance of them getting caught so they are going into these areas that are not frequented by the general public and cultivating these fields," said Butler.
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