(June 8, 2006) - A Caribbean man who fought extradition to Rochester for a decade before his March arrest will stay in jail as he awaits federal trial on allegations that he was a drug kingpin who helped orchestrate a major cocaine shipment to western New York in 1992.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian Payson ruled Tuesday that Noel Heath, 56, cannot be released on bail as he awaits trial. She ruled that Heath, who lives in the small, twin-island Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, might flee western New York if allowed to be free on bail.

Heath was indicted in federal court in Rochester in 1995 on charges that he was a key player in a planned delivery of 28 pounds of cocaine to Rochester three years before. That cocaine shipment was intercepted by police - the largest cocaine bust at that time in the region's history.

Police allege that Heath was captured on wiretaps plotting the cocaine delivery with a Rochester man who was later arrested and convicted on drug conspiracy charges.

~~Adz:Right~~Heath successfully fought extradition for a decade and became a cause celebre in some circles in St. Kitts because of his ability to stave off prosecution in the United States. His case was so highly publicized in the country that, when he was extradited in March, the St. Kitts prime minister held a news conference to temper criticism of his administration's consent with the action.

As a pre-trial bail offering, Heath proposed to live with a sister in the Bronx on electronic monitoring and to post $500,000 in a bail package that would include equity from the homes of friends and relatives. But Payson determined the proposed bail package was not enough security that he would not flee.

Heath's friends and family from St. Kitts urged Payson to allow Heath to go free on bail awaiting trial. In letters to the judge, they described him as a farmer and plumber beloved by the poor and needy in St. Kitts. One truant officer wrote: "He is well respected and loved by the residents in his community who are appalled that such a good man could be accused and extradited from the land of his birth."

U.S. Department of Justice officials have maintained that Heath is an example of how major-league drug dealers can find haven in some Caribbean nations.

In 1994, Heath and several others in St. Kitts were charged with conspiracy to murder the son of a former political figure whose charred body was found in a torched car. The charges were eventually dropped.