ANNOTTO BAY, St Mary — Law enforcement authorities have taken two local individuals into custody and filed criminal charges against them following an alleged attempt to sneak unauthorized contraband into the Annotto Bay police detention facility earlier this week. The accused pair, identified as 19-year-old hairstylist Ikyalia Richards — who holds listed addresses in both Heywood Hall, St Mary and Exchange, St Ann — and 30-year-old construction worker Romero Forbes, a resident of Ebony Hall, Highgate, were taken into custody on Tuesday. The incident unfolded when officers stationed at the Annotto Bay police station compound spotted unusual, suspicious behavior connected to the two individuals outside the lock-up perimeter. As responding officers moved in to investigate the suspicious activity, they witnessed detainees inside the facility attempting to pull the contraband package through a cell window from the outside. During the attempted transfer, the package slipped from the detainees’ grasp and fell to the ground outside the lock-up, where it was recovered by investigating officers. A search of the recovered item revealed it was a clear plastic bag holding six cigarettes, a banned item in the detention facility. Following an immediate on-scene processing, Richards and Forbes were placed under arrest and formally charged in connection with the smuggling attempt. A third individual implicated in the alleged plot managed to evade capture by fleeing the area before officers could secure the perimeter. Local law enforcement has confirmed that a manhunt is currently active for the outstanding third suspect, and investigators from the Annotto Bay Police Division are continuing to work through the details of the case to piece together the full scope of the smuggling operation.
Man and woman charged after allegedly attempting to smuggle cigarettes in Annotto Bay lock-up
