Caribbean News
Former BVI Premier found Guilty but is a MISTRIAL coming?
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#BVI, February 15, 2024 – Former British Virgin Islands (BVI) Premier Andrew Fahie, is facing possible life imprisonment after being found guilty for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States along with three related money laundering and racketeering charges.
But wait, that was before two jurors have decided to change their verdicts. Now, Judge Kathleen Williams expects both sides in the trial to file motions in this unprecedented matter. There is no case law to guide what happens if a juror recants their on-the-record decision.
Andrew Fahie, was found guilty of drug and racketeering related charges on Thursday February 8th, 2024 by a 12 person at the Miami federal court after a two-week trial.
On April 29th, 2024 Fahie was expected to be sentenced, but now, all of that is on hold with the judge constitutionally barred from probing the deliberations process.
The actions that led to Fahie’s current predicament started on April 28th, 2022 when he was arrested following a
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation. He was visiting Miami for a cruise convention and accompanying him was Oleanvine Pickering Maynard, BVI’s port director, who was also arrested on the same charges.
Catching Fahie and Oleanvine was smartly done by the U.S. government. They started in 2021, fielding a confidential undercover informant, assuming the identity of a Mexican cartel trafficker by the name of Roberto, a member of the Sinaloa cartel, who was in cahoots with Fahie and Oleanvine.
The informant lured Oleanvine and Fahie to a Miami airport to check on a huge cash payment that was promised to them, a total of $700,000, which consequently led to their arrest, landing them the indictment for cocaine scheme.
From their first interaction up until their arrest, the informant had conversed with them on multiple occasions.
In fact, going into the plot to detain Fahie and Oleavine, the informant, according to reports from Miami Herald, was well equipped with information on Fahie. He compiled hundreds of recorded conversations and text messages with the former premier, discussing million dollar bribery payments for access to BVI. In these conversations, Fahie had agreed to allow cocaine, thousands of kilos, to be moved through his BVI ports to be sold in the US, prosecutors inform.
For his involvement, which was minor according to his attorney, the port director’s son Kadeem Maynard was also arrested in the Caribbean and brought to Miami to join his mother and Fahie as a defendant.
The Maynards admitted that the cocaine conspiracy involved them agreeing to safeguard the informant’s shipments of cocaine through Tortola, British Virgin Islands to the US, in exchange for a portion of the profits which Miami Herald reports would be millions.
Oleanvine, who admitted to being the one who introduced Fahie to the informant, is set to be sentenced after Fahie. Her son was already sentenced in November, to five years, given his minor involvement. He is not required to testify at Fahie’s trial.
Barbados, February 12, 2026 – Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley was this afternoon officially sworn in for a third consecutive term, hours after delivering one of the most emphatic election victories in Caribbean political history — another complete capture of all 30 seats in Barbados’ House of Assembly.
The ceremony, conducted by President His Excellency Lt. Col. The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic, marked the formal start of a new
administration following the February 11, 2026 general election, which returned the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to power with a renewed and overwhelming mandate.
In a statement after taking the oath, Mottley said she accepted the responsibility “with humility and resolve,” thanking the people of Barbados for placing their trust in her leadership once again and urging national unity as her government begins its new term. Attorney Wilfred Abrahams was also sworn in as Attorney General.
The result is historic not only for its scale but for its consistency. This is the third straight general election in which the BLP has won every constituency, reinforcing Mottley’s dominance in national politics and extending an unmatched era of one-party control in the modern democratic period.
Voting day unfolded under the watch of a CARICOM Election Observation Mission, led by Antigua and Barbuda’s Supervisor of Elections Ian Hughes and supported by senior electoral officials from Belize and Jamaica. The team engaged key institutions ahead of the poll and monitored the process across the island.
Regional leaders were swift in their congratulations.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali described the outcome as “emphatic and historic,” saying the clean sweep reflected how deeply Mottley’s
leadership has connected with Barbadians and expressing optimism about strengthening ties between the two countries.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness also hailed the victory, noting that her re-election provides an opportunity to deepen cooperation within CARICOM and advance shared regional priorities.
The scale of the win again leaves Barbados without a parliamentary opposition, a reality that has become a defining feature of the political landscape since 2018. Supporters argue the repeated mandate reflects public confidence in Mottley’s stewardship of economic reform, climate diplomacy, the transition to a republic, and Barbados’ expanding global influence.
Now, newly sworn in and backed by another unanimous parliamentary majority, Mottley begins a third term with both extraordinary political capital and equally high expectations at home and across the region.
Liberty Caribbean is Diamond Sponsor of CANTO Connect 2026 and 42nd AGM
Port of Spain, TRININDAD & TOBAGO (February 1, 2026) — Liberty Caribbean, the operators of Flow. Liberty Business and BTC, has reaffirmed its commitment to turning regional connectivity into measurable economic and social outcomes as Diamond Sponsor of CANTO Connect 2026 and its 42nd Annual General Meeting.
CANTO is the leading regional body that brings together telecommunications operators, ICT providers, regulators, governments, and industry partners to support the development of the Caribbean’s digital and communications landscape.
Simone Martin-Sulgan, Vice President and General Manager, Flow Trinidad & Tobago delivered the sponsor’s address on behalf of Liberty Caribbean.
“The work of laying fibre and lighting towers is done; connectivity is now our foundation,” she said.
“The real task before us is to translate that foundation into innovation, productivity and prosperity for our people. Intelligent connectivity,
such as networks designed for 5G, AI and IoT, will be the platform for smarter public services, more resilient systems and scaled opportunities for Caribbean entrepreneurs.”
Martin-Sulgan emphasised that infrastructure alone will not deliver sustainable progress.
“Digital progress must become digital prosperity. That means creating career pathways for young people, helping local businesses scale and ensuring citizens across our communities can fully participate in the digital economy. A connected Caribbean should also be a confident, creative and globally competitive Caribbean,” she said.
Liberty Caribbean is represented by a senior delegation at CANTO Connect to support the conference objectives of aligning policy, investment and execution across the region under this year’s theme ‘Elevate the Caribbean – From Connectivity to Global Competitiveness’.
Liberty Caribbean’s delegation includes Inge Smidts, Chief Executive Officer; Desron Bynoe, VP and General Manager, Flow Barbados; Susanna O’Sullivan, VP and General Manager, North Caribbean; Marilyn Sealy, Senior Director, Head of Communications; Dominic Boon, VP, People; Daniel Neiva, Chief Commercial Officer, B2B; Bradley Ramcharan, Director, B2B, Trinidad & Tobago; Yolande Headley, Country Manager, Dutch East Caribbean; and Jade Reymond, Country Manager, Flow Anguilla.
Martin-Sulgan thanked CANTO’s local secretariat for convening the forum and urged delegates to convert conversation into action.
“If we align policy, capital and capability, the Caribbean can move from connectivity to competitiveness. Liberty Caribbean will continue to invest in resilient networks, nurture homegrown talent and partner to deliver measurable social and economic value across our markets,” she said.
