Leebert Ramcharan and Donovan Williams - the two alleged Montego Bay drug kingpins who were held by narcotics agents in March - were yesterday ordered extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
At the same time, Norris "Dedo" Nembhard, who, along with Ramcharan, was last week named among 10 international drug kingpins by American President George W Bush, was yesterday denied bail when he appeared before the Supreme Court.
In handing down his judgment in the Half-Way-Tree RM Court for Ramcharan and Williams to be extradited, the magistrate said he was satisfied that the affidavit documents implicating the two alleged drug kingpins were duly authenticated and that the offence of conspiracy to import and distribute drugs were equivalent to the Jamaican offence.
Defence lawyers had submitted last week that the charges of possession of cocaine and conspiracy to import and distribute drugs did not conform with Jamaican laws.
The court had, two Fridays ago, dismissed a third charge of attempting to import 1,422 pounds (647 kilograms) of cocaine into the United States because of insufficient evidence to support the charge.
Yesterday, Lord Anthony Gifford, who is heading the eight-member defence team for Ramcharan and Williams, argued in court that the accused men will not get a fair trial in the United States based on the 'drug kingpin' designation against Ramcharan last week by the US president.
Meanwhile, Nembhard was remanded in custody yesterday, despite his lawyers' vigorous argument that he was not a flight risk.
