BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – INON NIAS, the man whom police had charged with “possession of two firearms and an assortment of rounds of ammunition, possession of cocaine and two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to supply to another”, was granted bail to the tune of $50,000.
According to a police communiqué today (Aug. 12), Nias had appeared before a magistrate in Basseterre and, in addition to the $50,000 bail, was ordered to report to the Basseterre Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and to surrender all of his travel documents.
He was also placed on a daily curfew, which states that he must not be found outside his Greenland residence from 9 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Earlier this week, Nias was charged with the offences after police had reported that he was apprehended late Saturday afternoon (Aug. 6) by members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, who allegedly discovered 29 dime bags of cocaine within the vehicle he was driving.
The apprehension occurred during a Stop and Search Operation in the Southeast Peninsula, which was part of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force’s ongoing operation nicknamed “Operation Mid Sweep”.
As a result of that discovery, Nias was taken into custody and later that evening members of the Special Services Unit and the Anti-Drug Unit) had executed search warrants on properties in Newtown and Greenlands, which were identified as his residences.
At the Newtown property, the officers reportedly discovered a large quantity of marijuana and a search of the property in Greenlands resulted in the find of a Smith and Wesson .40 pistol, a .40 pistol, a quantity of assorted ammunition and a large amount of cocaine.
From all indications, no charge was laid against Nias for the marijuana allegedly found at the Newtown property.
Meanwhile, the police continue to conduct stop and searches, vehicular checkpoints, searches of ferry terminals and marinas, as well as mobile patrols around the Federation.
They informed that those are being done in efforts to remove illegal firearms, illegal ammunition, illegal drugs and instruments that could be used in the committal of crimes within communities.
