One man gets bail other remanded in cocaine bust on Mandela Highway

One of two men charged in connection with the seizure of more than a kilogramme of cocaine along the Nelson Mandela Highway in St Catherine was granted bail when they appeared in the St Catherine Parish Court on Monday.

Lenford Ferguson, a tiler of New Works, Westmoreland, was granted $700,000 bail with surety by Acting Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle.

However, his co-accused, farmer Donald Baugh, was remanded after the judge ruled that he had breached the Bail Act.

Baugh was reportedly denied bail because he was allegedly arrested while already on bail for a similar offence.

The matter will again be mentioned on May 26, 2026.

Allegations are that about 5:25 p.m. on March 4, members of the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) were conducting an operation along the Nelson Mandela Highway when they signalled a Toyota Allion motorcar to stop.

Police say Ferguson, who was driving the vehicle, complied, while Baugh was travelling as a passenger.

An initial search reportedly uncovered several small ziplock bags containing ganja. Further checks of the vehicle and its spare tyre allegedly led to the discovery of a rectangular package containing a white powdery substance resembling cocaine.

The substance weighed about 2.3 pounds and later tested positive for cocaine. Police say the forensic certificate is still outstanding.

Both men were subsequently charged with possession of cocaine and ganja, dealing in cocaine and ganja, and trafficking cocaine and ganja.

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