Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:

Two men charged in 2010 for allegedly conspiring to smuggle drugs between Jamaica and Canada, will return to the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on October 17.

They are former police sergeant Vincent Saddler, charged with conspiracy to export ganja and Donovan Clarke, a former Sangster International Airport employee, charged with possession of and dealing in cocaine and conspiracy to export ganja.

Saddler is represented by attorney-at-law Valerie Neita-Robertson, while Clarke's lawyer is Dionne Maylor-Reid.

When the matter was mentioned last Thursday the court was told that the case was not yet ready for trial as a number of statements are outstanding.

But this revelation did not go down well with Maylor-Reid, who complained that the matter has been ongoing since 2010.

"These gentlemen have been coming to court in excess of two years and that matter is still on the court list. Every time they are to come, the article is repeated in the news for the last two years," she argued.

Resident Magistrate Natalie Hart-Hines subsequently set the case for mention on October 17, and extended the accused men's $500,000 bails.

Allegations are that on December 1, 2010, Saddler and Clarke were arrested during an operation by investigators from the Anti-Corruption Branch, regarding narcotics trafficking from the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to the Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada. Nine alleged co-conspirators were also arrested in Canada during the same operation.