Former Detective Corporal Stanley Toote said on Wednesday during the Lorequin Commission that he is willing to identify during a closed session of the inquiry his confidential source who pinpointed a Defence Force Officer who reportedly ﾓstashedﾔ a quantity of drugs.
Mr. Toote told the commission that officer who allegedly stashed the illegal substance was Leading Seaman Sham Burrows.
Mr. Toote said he received a telephone call from his informant on June 21, 1992 while at the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU).
He said the informant told him that while he was at the Glade Restaurant and Bar in Peardale he heard a telephone conversation regarding an alleged drug conspiracy.
A man known as ﾓSlimﾔ reportedly called the establishment looking for Lieutenant Clarence Dean, but he was not there. The source reportedly told Mr. Toote that ﾑSlimﾴ then made a phone call in his presence.
ﾓ[Slim] told the person on the other end of the line that ﾑJamsﾴ, referring to Sham Burrows, said that they needed [Lieutenant Clarence] Dean because they had [taken] some drugs off a boat and had stashed it in Coral Harbour,ﾔ Mr. Toote said.
Mr. Toote testified that his informant said ﾑSlimﾴ left the bar with a few others shortly afterwards, but he was not aware of where they went.
He said that ﾑJamsﾴ was later identified by his source as Leading Seaman Sham Burrows. The Defence Force Officer was reportedly in uniform when his informant pointed him out to Mr. Toote.
The witness said at the time Mr. Burrows was driving a BMW. He was reportedly also seen at other times driving a sports utility vehicle.
Mr. Toote told the three-man commission that he followed up on information received from his source and forwarded it to then Assistant Superintendent Reginald Ferguson.
The commission was appointed by the government to investigate the circumstances surrounding three packages of cocaine that went missing after the arrest of two Dominicans in June 1992; and seizure of drugs by HMBS Inagua crew.
Mr. Toote admitted that during his investigations he did not take any statements from the crewmen while they were questioned at DEU. He said no photos were taken either.
Attorney Wayne Munroe said: ﾓI would have thought that this would be a priority investigation. Youﾴre not talking about street peddlers. Youﾴre talking about major corruption on a disciplined force.ﾔ
ﾠAlso testifying was DEU Detective Corporal Weymond Demeritte, who painted a picture of HMBS Inagua Captain Lieutenant Franklin Clarke as being uncooperative during the initial investigations.
Mr. Demeritte said he and other officers proceeded to Nassau Harbour after 4 pm on June 20, after receiving certain information about the Lorequin. Mr. Demeritte said when they asked Lieutenant Clarke to search the Lorequin, he became angry.
According to Mr. Demeritte, Mr. Clarke told Detective Constable 848 Major that his crew had already found the cocaine and was instructed to take it to the Defence Force Base at Coral Harbour.
ﾓWhen Major asked him to examine the kilo of cocaine, Mr. Clarke refused. Then, we had a little more exchange of words and then Major asked him to take the boat to the lighthouse dock where the marina was. Mr. Clarke refused,ﾔ Mr. Demeritte said.
He testified that the final suggestion by Constable Major to have a police ride on the Lorequin as it was escorted to the Defence Force Base was also refused.
ﾓMr. Clarke became very angry. He told his crew, ﾑuntie the boat. Letﾴs leave,ﾴﾔ Mr. Demeritte said.
Detective Constable Philip Roberts testified that Lieutenant Clarke was ﾓagitated.ﾔ
He said that when the requests of police officers were repeatedly denied, they made a call to superiors at DEU, who gave instructions for them to stand by until a senior team was able to travel to the harbor and deal with the matter.
Both officers Demeritte and Roberts testified to receiving additional information that led them to the Pilot House Hotel, which was located across the street from Nassau Harbour.
Mr. Demeritte said police were informed that two members of the Lorequin went to the hotel.
The officers said they conducted further enquiries before heading to room 358, where two white men were found. Mr. Demeritte said they later learned that their names were Ron Woods and Richard Skinner.
The police reportedly found a 9 mm pistol and 53 rounds of .9 mm ammunition during the 30-minute search.
The men were arrested and taken to DEU for further questioning.
The commission resumes on Thursday.
Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
