Co-owner of Tower Suites, Shervington ‘Big Head’ Lovell, who is facing a charge of conspiracy to violate US maritime drug enforcement law, may be in plea bargaining negotiations with authorities, according to United States Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman.
In a letter dated April 1st, 2019, which was seen by this newspaper, Berman informed US District Judge Paul G. Gardephe that the prosecution was in “plea negotiations with several of the defendants” but did not name those who are willing to plead guilty.
Lovell, who was nabbed in Jamaica last October and extradited to the United States, is charged along with Godofredo Leandro Gonzalez, Luis Rafael Febres Monasterio, Murvin Reigoud Maikel, Omar Torres, Moses Roopwah, Neredio-Julian Sucre, David Cardona-Cardona, Argemiro Zapata-Castro, Steven Antonius, Jean-Claude Okongo Landji, Jibril Adamu, and Youssouf Fofana.
The 12 were expected to reappear before Justice Gardephe on Friday.
However, in yesterday’s letter Berman requested that another date be given.
“The Government is currently involved in plea negotiations with several defendants, and all defendants are continuing to review discovery. All defense counsel have consented to the request, save defense counsel for Omar Torres, from whom the Government has not yet received a response,” the attorney wrote in the letter.
The next suggested date for a court hearing was given as May 1st or May 2nd, subject to the judge’s approval.
“In addition, and also with the consent of all defendants except Omar Torres, the Government moves to exclude time, in the interests of justice, between the date of this Order and the date of the rescheduled conference, for the continued review of discovery and for the parties to continue engaging in discussions regarding pretrial disposition,” the letter ended.
Lovell was nabbed last year following months of investigation and planning by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which saw him meeting with confidential sources (CSs) in Georgetown and Jamaica to allegedly plan a cocaine shipment to the Netherlands.
It was following the interception of a cocaine-laden vessel, 350 miles off Diamond Valley, Barbados on July 27th 2018 that a sealed US arrest warrant was issued for Lovell. He and his co-conspirators were allegedly hoping to traffic the 624 kilogrammes of cocaine to the Netherlands via the Azores.
Lovell and Colombian Ricardo Ramirez were arrested along with a Surinamese national on October 25th at the Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica on drug trafficking charges.
According to the complaint filed against Lovell, in or about April and July 2018 in Guyana, Jamaica and Colombia on the high seas and elsewhere, he and others intentionally and knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together and with each other to violate the maritime drug enforcement laws of the US. It further says they knowingly intended to use a vessel to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance in violation of Title 46 of the United States Code Section 70503 (a) (1).
