Man hid 121 kg of cannabis on yacht to fund wife's cancer medication, Barbados court hears

Walter Oneal Prescod, 63, told police he sourced over 120 kg of cannabis in Grenada and concealed it aboard a yacht bound for Barbados to raise money for his ill wife.

Barbados man smuggled cannabis to pay for wife's treatment, jury told

Walter Oneal Prescod, 63, of Emerald Park East, St Philip, concealed 121.4 kilogrammes of cannabis aboard a yacht and planned to sell the drugs to cover the cost of his wife's cancer medication, a Barbados court heard on Wednesday. According to Barbados Today, a jury of nine members heard the details as Prescod's trial continued before Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell.

Prescod faces three charges: possessing 121.4 kilogrammes of cannabis within Barbados' territorial waters, importing the substance, and having a traffickable quantity of the drug — all alleged to have occurred on July 23, 2018.

Officer's testimony

Acting Inspector Ricardo Ottley, formerly attached to the Narcotics Unit, testified that he and a colleague went to Oistins Police Station two days after Prescod's arrest to question him. While in custody, Prescod first requested to speak with his attorney, Arthur Holder. After doing so, he told the officers: "He tell me to cooperate, so leh we talk."

When asked who was responsible for the cannabis found on the vessel, Prescod was unequivocal. "I is who responsible for the cannabis," he said. Asked what he intended to do with the drugs once in Barbados, he told officers: "I was supposed to look for buyers to sell to so I could get money to help my wife buy her cancer medication. I ain't gine leave out this cause I was trying to help my wife, but she don't know anything about this."

Prescod subsequently consented to providing a written statement.

How the drugs came aboard

In that statement, Prescod said he was employed by Goddard's Enterprises as a sailor aboard its vessel Ecstasy, a role he had held for four years under the immediate supervision of Christopher Rogers. His duties included helping to steer the boat and carrying out maintenance work. The vessel travelled to Grenada annually for upkeep, and Prescod regularly accompanied it.

He stated that in May 2018 he sailed with Rogers and others to Grenada for repairs. Rogers and the others flew back to Barbados while Prescod remained, retaining the vessel's key.

It was during that stay in Grenada, Prescod told officers, that he met an unknown man near a local shop. "I started to tell this man that my wife has cancer and that the medication for her is very expensive," his statement read. He asked the man whether he could obtain cannabis that he could bring back to Barbados to sell. The man agreed, and Prescod indicated that roughly 100 pounds would suffice.

In June, the man confirmed the cannabis was ready. Prescod arranged to be collected by vehicle at the roadside, and the pair drove into the dockyard together. Using his security pass to enter, Prescod helped transfer the drugs from a blue jeep onto the Ecstasy. The consignment consisted of four sugar bags, one black duffel bag, and four taped packages. Because the other man was smaller in build, Prescod said, he allowed him to place the packages in the compartment beside the water tanks before locking the vessel.

Return voyage and discovery

Some time later, Rogers contacted Prescod and asked him to return temporarily to Barbados due to bad weather. Rogers purchased his ticket, and Prescod came home — still holding the vessel's key, which he said he had not given to anyone else at any point.

He returned to Grenada in July with Rogers, later joined by Charles Herbert. The three sailed the Ecstasy back to Barbados. After clearing Customs and berthing at the Shallow Draught, Herbert and Rogers departed while Prescod remained aboard to clean the vessel, joined by several of Rogers' employees.

Coast Guard officers then boarded and announced they would conduct a search. During the inspection, officers located one sugar bag containing cannabis, then the remaining sugar bags, the duffel bag, and the four taped packages.

"If the Coast Guard guy did not search the vessel and find the marijuana, I would have found a way to take the marijuana off the boat myself and take it and stash it," Prescod said in his statement. "I would have looked for people to buy the marijuana, so I could make some money to help buy the medication for my wife."

Prescod was emphatic that neither Rogers nor Herbert had any knowledge of the cannabis. "I am very sorry for doing this. I did it solely for the purpose of helping my wife. I am very remorseful," his statement concluded.

Legal representation

The State is represented by Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC and Acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod. Defence attorneys Sade Harris and Elan Greenidge represent the accused. The trial is scheduled to resume on Thursday.

Source: Barbados Today