A MAN on trial along with Stephen “Die” Stubbs and two others in connection with a $6 million marijuana seizure was able to get a Supreme Court judge to have the ruling against him stayed until August 28.

As a result of the action taken by 38-year-old Dion Minnis through his attorney Dion Smith, the ruling in the major drug case was delayed until August 29, a day after Justice Bernard Turner’s stay order expires.

Yesterday morning, 37-year-old Stubbs of Ridgeland Park and 57-year-old Selva Hudson of Sisal Avenue were the only defendants present at court along with their respective attorneys Murrio Ducille and Ian Cargill.

Crown prosecutors were also there awaiting the scheduled proceeding to start and for Deputy Chief Magistrate Carolita Bethell to deliver her verdict on the matter involving the three accused and 51-year-old David Arlington Colebrook, who is currently on the run.

The four are accused of conspiring together between September 5 and 30, 2009, to import and possess dangerous drugs in Williams Town, Exuma, with the intent to supply.

Evidence in the trial revealed that the 3,935 pounds of marijuana came from Jamaica and was dropped off in Williams Town.

According to testimony, Colebrooke, who was out on bail, had taken a boat into Nassau where police were waiting to arrest him having used wire tap surveillance to catch him.

Colebrooke was allegedly to meet up with Minnis and Stubbs.

Hudson was arrested in the area of the drugs after police found a GPS (global positioning system), which allegedly had been left in a car by Colebrook after he got off the boat.
The police examined the tracking system that led them to the drugs — $5,902,000 worth of marijuana.

Stubbs, Hudson and Minnis have denied guilt.
On July 9, Stubbs’ attorney Murrio Ducille made submissions to the magistrate.

On July 16, attorneys Ian Cargill and Dion Smith, who represent Hudson and Minnis, also made submissions concerning the case.

On Monday, the ruling was expected to be handed down. However, late receipt of full trial transcripts delayed the verdict and the matter was adjourned to yesterday where Minnis and attorney Smith were absent.

It was revealed that Smith, also the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, was filling in for Kendal Major, the House Speaker, who is not on the island.

Smith had sent the message the previous day that he would “a little late” as he would be welcoming the family of the late Charles Maynard to the house.

However, Minnis’s absence had not yet been explained and the deputy chief magistrate was prepared to issue a warrant for his arrest.

While this was being found out, the magistrate addressed the prosecutor concerning a notice of constitutional motion the absent attorney intended to present to the court.

Mr Cargill said that he’d received word of Minnis being at the Supreme Court in Bank Lane.

Court took a break for five minutes and when it returned, the prosecutor said he’d received instructions that the stay motion, according to Director of Public Prosecutions, only related to Dion Minnis, not the other defendants.

However, both Mr Ducille and Cargill noted that even so such a move could not occur at the stage of the trial.

When it became official that there really was a stay on the ruling until August 28 concerning Minnis, the magistrate said she would adjourn the matter to a date convenient for all involved.

After five minutes, counsel and the deputy chief magistrates agreed to August 29 at 9am where the ruling would be handed down.