The Supreme Court has placed a freeze on four high-end properties, valued at nearly $400 million, that were traced by local investigators to a Jamaican couple that has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges in the United States.
The multimillion-dollar real estate, according to the Financial Investigations Division (FID), is in the names of Damian Edwards, his wife, Hopie Dawn Edwards, and a company they established as a “front” to hold the properties.
Among the properties the FID said were traced to the couple is a 16-unit apartment complex, valued at $180 million, that occupies approximately 20,000 square foot of land in Montego Bay, St James. “This was built with cash … United States dollars,” a law-enforcement source revealed.
The other properties traced to the couple by local investigators are a 10-unit apartment complex, valued at US$800,000, or approximately J$103 million; another apartment complex, valued at US$500,000, or approximately J$65 million, both in St James; and a parcel of land being developed in Trelawny.
Armed with this finding, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions applied to the Supreme Court and obtained restraint orders last month for all four properties. A restraint order bars the owner of a property from selling, transferring, or leasing it until the case is completed.
Damian Edwards was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, while his wife was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering after they signed separate plea agreements in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio last month, the FID revealed.
PLEA AGREEMENT
Under the plea agreement, a copy of which was obtained by The Gleaner, Damian Edwards – who is believed to be in the US illegally – faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of US$10 million, while his wife faces 20 years in prison and a fine of US$7 million. They are to be sentenced next year.
The two were among four persons who were arrested in the state of Ohio in February this year in a massive drug bust that netted 3,600 pounds of ganja, US$1.3 million in cash, three firearms, and five motor vehicles.
Following their arrests, US law-enforcement officials indicated that the two led a drug-trafficking ring that transported large quantities of marijuana between the states of Arizona and Ohio.
Jamaican law-enforcement officials told The Gleaner that personnel from the US Marshall Service were in the island working with the FID to manage the properties traced to the couple.
The properties, one of which is occupied by tenants, are to be disposed of, and according to one official, the proceeds will be shared between the governments of the Jamaica and the US.
“There is a signed MOU between Jamaica and the United States in regard to how the proceeds derived from these assets are shared between both countries. Typically, in a drug case, it is shared 50-50,” the official explained.
This man was not a lottery scammer; he peddled illicit drugs in the US. Yute weh start out in di Bronx; I last saw him in Arizona two years ago at wedding. This is a man re-entered after being deported on more than one occasions. Some people just have some skills and financial reach.
But him do lottery scamming now u kn bout him den mi know bout him NOW. Maroon town mi cum fr u cah tell me nothing bout him
I hear ya
Hope apple an icon see dis
Why dem caan satisfy. Why not go into a legitimate business, open a factory, or do something clean and leggo di herb business completely. If dem can ketch di great El twice, why unno tink dem caan ketch unno? A
Why should Jamaica ageee 50/50 damn fool. Suh when him time done then they sent him and his wife to Jamaica broke and harden criminal. Jamaica and all the black places should look hard into themselves. Cuba had some good principles
These things bigger than mi yah man.
Mouth open. M0n3y M!k3 dweet the right way with him company. Him pickeny dem arrogan AF though. KMT.
jezzas why she get so much a done she done, god almighty the pickney dem, why sinting never wuk out fi kids sake him get 10 and she get 20 ??? mi a go look fi me meds mii head a hat mi, MET U SEE THE ONE THAT TRAIL THE WOMAN FROM THE BANK TO BARBICAN, HEAR HIM FROM VILLE, A THE FONE HIIM MOTHER SEE HIM PON, SMH THE TEDDA ONE GET WEY AND CANT SAY NUTTEN, MI NO GRUDG NOBODY FI WEH DEM GOT U N KNOW WEH DEM GET E FRAM
What exactly they think is going to happened when you are just greedy? My Christ, You already have how much complex why didn’t you just sit back and collect rent from them and easy? Greed is a helleva thing.
Can bet how d wife boasy an show aff like apple dem smh
Premium tea sipper me think a me alone find the millwoods arrogant. Dem boasy bad especially the one whe name Chris ugly like him father
Metty any Updates on Marsha Gaye Reynolds??? , she was supposed to be sentenced last week.
Question, so merica affi come ya fuss before smddy run antecedent pon dem ppl ya? So from u av likkle name n u can say u get money from xyz nuh baddy nuh look into u? A desso the problem lie and nuh wonder so much deh ya a parade as business ppl.
Everybody commenting badmind de people Dem nuh hurt nobody only a sell likkle weed and it sound like all a unnu glad dutty stinking Jamaicans innu fi do betta