Regional Caribbean media outlet Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) reports from St John’s, Antigua, that a major drug-related prosecution against Jamaican-born local entrepreneur Francis Young has been formally terminated after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of Antigua and Barbuda elected not to move forward with the case.
Chief Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel officially recorded the discontinuation of proceedings against Young in court, but the DPP has not released any public explanation for its abrupt decision to drop the case.
Young’s prosecution stemmed from a high-stakes drug seizure in May 2025 at the Deep Water Harbor port facility. When authorities searched an incoming cargo shipment, they uncovered 62 pounds of concealed cannabis, with local law enforcement estimating the contraband had an illicit street value of EC$372,000. Young was originally charged alongside co-accused Nadeem Brandon Doumith in connection with the seizure.
While Young has been cleared of all charges, the legal case against Doumith remains active. The next court hearing for Doumith is scheduled to take place on August 8, 2026. Both men originally faced a slate of severe drug offenses, including conspiracy to traffic illegal narcotics, possession of cannabis, possession with intent to distribute cannabis, illegal importation of cannabis, and involvement in the supply of controlled substances.
Public records show Young has resided in Antigua for four years alongside his wife and three minor children, and he runs a local business that provides employment for multiple Antiguan workers.
This case marks the second high-profile drug prosecution that the Antigua DPP’s office has discontinued in less than a month. Just one week prior, prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against 48-year-old Canadian national Roselynee Crisostomo, who was arrested after authorities found 67 pounds of cannabis in her possession at VC Bird International Airport in March 2026. Unlike the Young case, the DPP cited undisclosed medical reasons as the justification for ending that prosecution.