Witness heard in case against
two alleged human smugglers
PHILIPSBURG--The court hearings of two suspects accused of being the leaders in drug smuggling and human trafficking operations continued on Tuesday with the hearing of a witness.
The Prosecutor’s Office is accusing A.C.H. (28) of St. Eustatius and Y.F.J (26) of China of having helped an undisclosed number of undocumented Chinese citizens and nationals of the Dominican Republic gain illegal entry into St. Maarten between January and October 2006.
Three immigration officers working at Princess Juliana International Airport were bribed to cooperate in the illegal operation. The three were tried and sentenced by the Court of First Instance and received sentences ranging from 145 days to 9 months.
The Prosecutor’s Office regards A.C.H. and Y.F.J. as the main suspects in this case. Their hearing was originally scheduled for April 5, but was suspended until Tuesday pending the hearing of a witness.
Both suspects were allegedly involved in large-scale drug operations as well and on this point their lawyers Eldon Sulvaran and Jairo Bloem wanted to hear Leonard Gumbs (40) of the Bahamas as a witness. Gumbs was convicted by the Court of First Instance of drug smuggling charges, and given a prison sentence of six years and a NAf. 20,000 fine.
Gumbs told Judge Rick Smid that he had received 8 kilos of cocaine from A.C.H. and on July 16, 2006, another half a kilo via a Chinese middleman. He told the judge that he had never seen suspect Y.F.J.
A.C.H. and Y.F.J. will stand trial on Thursday.
