A Greek billionaire and heir to the Coca-Cola fortune remained in police custody here on Tuesday after making an appearance in court following his arrest on drug related charges last Thursday.
Alkiviades “Alki” David, 50, was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Unit at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport after a search of his private jet uncovered more than EC$1.3 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) worth of cannabis on board.
David was charged for possession with intent to supply, possession of controlled drugs and importation of a controlled drug, was originally released on EC$30,000 cash bail and ordered to surrender all his travel documents and report to a police station daily.
But following his court appearance on Tuesday, his bail was increased to EC$300,000 and bail conditions changed due to new evidence submitted by the police.
The media were barred from entering the court building and some media houses here are reporting that David’s lawyers were seeking an urgent sitting of the High Court.
During a news conference on Monday, David claimed the plants on board his private aircraft were “all hemp” and were intended for a new venture to start a legal cannabis business in the region.
He and Chase Ergen, the heir to a satellite fortune, announced in April that they formed a consortium aimed at developing the cannabis business in St. Kitts-Nevis, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda.
A government statement issued here Tuesday said several citizens were upset at the tone of David during the news conference saying that “over the last several hours launched a damning and disrespectful attack on the country’s Prime Minister, Dr. Timothy Harris.
“In one instance Alki David said with a clenched fist, “Mr. Harris, PM, you’re going to get a fisting.” He added, “Literally a legal fisting like no other.”
The statement quoted Prime Minister Harris as saying recently that “non-nationals would not be permitted to secure advantages over nationals of our Federation as we set about to build out a marijuana industry”.
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Sooo did he fly in with it? Was it sourced in SKB? This man is a piece of work. You wanted to start a business in these areas but you brought your own supply with you?
Give me a break. Your coca-cola has gotten to your head.
you went to the wrong island first
Good job,St .Kitts Police.The law is the Law.It must be respected by all without exceptions.Arrest his behind whether he is a gutter sweeper and or a billionaire.Would he be arrested in Antigua and Barbuda? Perhaps he would have been given a Diplomatic Passport.Because he is rich.And no one in leadership gives two damns.
Apparently, his partner Charles Egen is an economic citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis. He received his passport in 2010 under Dr. Denzil Douglas gov’t
💯👏👏👏
With the so called legalization of medical cannabis and the obvious opportunity for many international business predators and pirates to benefit, I assume we will see many more such people coming to our shores in an effort to capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves. I am very concerned about what this might do to our image as a whole. It would sound to me as if these folks already had links with St.Kitts, Antigua and Dominica as mentioned in the text.
Thank you very much . You all are bashing this man not realizing he was invited by the very same dignitaries , that runs these countries St.Kitts , Antigua and Barabuda, and Dominica . These Caribbean countries are crooked with their leaders . Who makes so many undercover deals without the country and it’s people knowing . This was just one that couldn’t simply be swept under the carpet .. why else do you think Alki David threatened the St.Kitts PM. It’s because they know other like that and had an agreement which the St.kitts PM couldn’t get him out off . Because the St.Kitss PM already told the people that he wouldn’t allow any foreign investments into the newly raising legal hemp /marijuana industry , which is what he had Alki David to do .
These so called leaders don’t want to leave their positions broke …remember that ..they’re human beings to with want and desires just like any of us !
Wonder what the great Dougie has to say about this. Lol
The legalization caused legal complications but it seem like this guys wanted to take advantage of the region by operating under his own rules.
I have a distinctive feeling that none of you who commented about this revelation knows anything about growing Cannabis. If he wanted to bring his own strain of the plant to the Caribbean that is his business. I know how politicians go about their business in the former British colonies of the Caribbean. Someone’s palm was not greased enough in St. Kitts. It appears that neither the citizens or politicians of St Kitts and in this case the citizens of Antigua Barbuda have a clue of what a “consortium” means-that would certainly involve ethics which the politicians nor citizens have in the first place.
If that was Antigua he would be given a first class ticket home.
Antigua would not want to mess with the pale skin people…
If it was in Antigua he would be house at the former American Base in Coolidge.
It seems that he had landed in the wrong country. St. Kitts PM is right his nationals come first.
Shouldn’t the native of these islands given the opportunity to be the one planting this medical marijuana? Our own people wants to become millionaire and billionaire to.
It would be a wonderful thing if Antiguans starting growing hemp…CBD…for medical users. Low risk. High profit. Help people who are ill and in need of help and make a really good living…we dont need anymore millionaires or billionaires, thanks….just everyone making a good, steady income…perhaps a collective undertaking with profit sharing and benefits and daycare…..just saying. It’s all possible. You have a perfect growing environment. Just dont make the mistakes that the huge countries have made and continue to make. Be the example to the world of how to do it right.
This is my wheelhouse…my PhD and post doc are in addictions, mental health and disability. I’m an expert in the various forms and approaches to legalization of pot…and I will be living in Antigua every Canadian winter, now that I’m retired. It will be interesting to watch this potential opportunity unfold.
Your tourism rate would go through the roof too. We have thousands of Americans who cross the border into Canada for the weekend where they can smoke without fear of arrest…those are recreational users, however.
The dude is COCKY, ARROGANT, and CONDSCENDING! Hope they throw the book at him and make an example out of him.
How do you know? Have you met him? Do you know his intentions, other than the first blush of the news. Judge not, my friend. There may be more to the story.
I know because I watched the interview he gave basically threatening Dr. Timothy Harris. He needs some humble pie and a nice glass of calm-your-ass-down.
1.3 million dollars of “plants is a fair few greens. He just needs a Mongo, banana, coconut, and an apple then he’s good to go with his 5 a day.
@Incredible, please refrain from slandering our entire nation and further the region with your blatant disrespect and disdain. You are clearly anything but “incredible” let alone credible and seem in actual fact incapable of providing commentary on a news story without defaming the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda. Your comments are tone deaf and wildly sweeping not to mention cretinous.
Most people are misinformed about cannabis, particularly now. If this man was carrying HEMP on the plane, it looks, smells, tastes and smokes like THC. But it contains little to no THC. It will not get you high. It is not illegal to grow in Canada or the USA or anywhere that I know of.
If it was cannabis that has less than 0.3% THC, that will also not get you high, no matter how much you smoke. But it might stop your seizures or pain or sleeplessness….still working on the research.
If it was THC dominant pott for recreational use, then, in Antigua, he is just another drug dealer, as your laws state.
This is a complex area. It COULD be a medicine that has far fewer side effects than those offered by big pharma and at much lower cost and greater availability…they won’t call it “weed” without reason….it grows many places. Certainly lots of seniors are moving away from opioids to pot. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.
I am looking forward to hearing more facts as they come in. Antigua is now in a position to show other countries how to handle this. Please dont just react. Think. What is the best thing long term?
TELEGRAPHED MESSAGES
From this news report, reasonable inferences might be drawn that the offending billionaire had some form of discussion on the initiative ‘…with those in position to make policy-decisions.’
However, he may have ‘…jumped the gun.’
These island-nations have been toying with the idea of building a ‘…Cannabis Economy.’
They have ‘…Telegraphed Messages,’ disguising the true intent under ‘…Medical Marijuana.’
Taking a small step, some have decriminalized ‘…15 Grammes and 4 live plants.’
Recently, some have established ‘…Medical Marijuana Boards’ (See Website 420 Intel).
Though the islands have not, and could not engage the services of legendary Jamaican Reggae artist, Robert ‘Bob’ Marley, they have been capitalizing on video footage of him ‘…puffing and promoting marijuana’ [Face Book].
But then, until the law is repealed to allow for some freedom, one runs the risk of prosecution to jump ahead before this is done.
Hemp does not have the psychactibr ingridient of cannabis. So is it also illegal , if so why?
No, Hemp is not illegal. Hemp has been in all sorts of products for years.
@ Rolling my eyes, Haha, the truth hurts does it not? I am so sorry for you. I am not a bible person but from my days of Methodist confirmation under Reverend Neville Denfield Brodie. I know there is something in there that says “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” You seem to suffer from blind political amnesia. It is an overwhelming feeling where to begin to comment on your myopic way of thinking.
Vere Cornwall Bird Sr dominated Antigua Barbuda from its infancy as a country. He was a great leader and a true national hero but he had his flaws which have marinated into the political mess that exists today. From the alleged induction of an Italian mafia funded hotel and casino in the mid-1960’s(Angelo Chieppa) to the transshipment of arms meant for the Antigua Barbuda Defense Force to the Colombian Medellin cartel(Louis Blom-Cooper Royal Commission). Numerous allegations of certain politicians personal involvement in the transshipment of Colombian cocaine. I myself had a conversation with one of the leaders of the two main political parties in Antigua Barbuda. He conveyed to me that during the 1980’s when the popular phrase was “How the country a run?” and the response was “The country a run good”, He intimated to me that the reason that things were good was the fact that illegal drugs(cocaine) were holding up the economy of Antigua Barbuda at that time. There are allegations of money laundering since the mid-1990s culminating with the involvement of Meinl Bank Antigua Limited in paying out bribes globally for the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Oh and let’s not talk about the vile Penguin’s greatest hits album where he allegedly audio recorded himself with a certain political party’s top leaders discussing inside party Machiavellian moves, pedophilia, bribery, kickbacks(IHI) and money laundering. My favorite part is the alleged voice of the party leader at the time asserting that the leadership of the country was his birthright. It would not be far fetched to say that every single administration in Antigua Barbuda since 1951 has had issues with ethics. My argument is that the citizens of Antigua Barbuda elect who they want to lead them and if these elected officials have ethical issues and are still reelected time and time again then the citizens also have ethical issues. It is easy to say that and leave it there without mentioning the allegations of politicians granting political favors, buying citizen votes outright with cash or in the case of the last election paying money to hold on to voter id cards. The regression gets worse every day.
Seventeen-century politics at it’s finest. I could never see how my comments could be seen as tone deaf, wildly sweeping or cretinous when all the historical facts are out there in the public domain.
Stop d foolishness n free up d man..he came to invest
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