Michael McLean, Santa Cruz

Three men who were allegedly held with stolen items when police stopped a car they were travelling in were denied bail when they appeared in the Santa Cruz Resident Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Darren Joseph, 20, a farmer of New Market in St Elizabeth, was charged, along with Devon Blair, a 19-year-old higgler of May Pen, Clarendon, and Simon Lindsay, 22, of Cobbla district, Spaldings, Clarendon. The three are jointly charged with illegal possession of firearm and ammunition, as well as receiving stolen property.

Joseph has other charges pending because he has been implicated in the disappearance of St Elizabeth banker Michael Campbell of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Joseph was the man whose photograph was allegedly featured in the bank's automated room during a transaction with his face hidden, after the banker went missing sometime last year.

The court was told that on July 23 about 9:30 p.m., the Area Three highway patrol police was conducting spot checks along the Goshen main road in the parish when they signalled a red Toyota Corolla (Kingfish) with the three men aboard to stop.

Following a search of the car, a 9 mm Colt Mack pistol with serial number erased was found under the front-left seat of the motor car. Several live rounds were also found in a black plastic bag, along with an empty magazine. Several other items were also found in the car.

It is alleged that between July 11 and 12 of this year, the three men broke into a house where they stole Jamaican and US currency amounting to more than $870,000. A Sony DVD player, JVC recorder, speakers and other household items, valuing $270,000, were also discovered.

The men were taken to the Santa Cruz Police Station where they were subsequently handed over and arrested and charged.

They are booked to return to the Black River RM Court on September 3.