CASTRIES, St Lucia — St Lucia drug arrests have resulted in three people being charged after a joint police operation led to cannabis-related recoveries in Gros Islet and an alleged methamphetamine importation case in Castries, according to law enforcement officials.
The operation was conducted Thursday, March 19, by the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit, Central Intelligence Unit and Special Services Unit at multiple locations across the island.
Police said officers searched a business establishment and a residence on Marie Therese Street in Gros Islet, where they recovered quantities of cannabis and cannabis resin. Two people at the premises, 48-year-old Oliver Paul and 33-year-old Jelissa Marie O’Neal, were arrested.
Authorities said both were later charged on Friday, March 20, with possession of controlled drugs and possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply. They were taken to the First District Court, where bail was granted in the sum of $2,000 each.
Police operation widens St Lucia drug arrests probe
In a separate action, officers executed a search warrant at the Morne Road, Castries, residence of 53-year-old Matthew Nicholson, an American national living in St Lucia.
Police said no illegal items were found during that search. Nicholson was nevertheless arrested in connection with the recovery on March 11 of a quantity of suspected methamphetamine that had been concealed in a package entering St Lucia through a local courier service.
He was subsequently charged with importation of a controlled drug, improper importation of goods and fraudulent evasion of customs laws.
Nicholson was escorted to the First District Court on Monday, March 23, where bail was granted in the sum of $10,000 along with additional court conditions.
Package seizure deepens St Lucia drug arrests case
The latest charges highlight two distinct fronts in the island’s narcotics enforcement efforts, including cases tied to cross-border trafficking and local distribution networks.
Similar enforcement action has been seen in recent weeks, including a Vieux Fort hashish seizure case that resulted in a suspect being remanded.
Police did not disclose the quantity of cannabis, cannabis resin, or suspected methamphetamine involved in the cases. Officials also did not indicate whether further arrests or charges are expected.
The latest St Lucia drug arrests underscore continued multi-unit enforcement activity as authorities pursue both street-level drug offences and cases tied to suspected cross-border importation.
