A coordinated multi-unit law enforcement sweep across three Castries neighborhoods in Saint Lucia has yielded major results, with eight people facing criminal charges—including one suspect previously wanted for an alleged armed robbery. The operation, carried out May 28 by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force’s Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit, drew support from three additional specialized departments: the Criminal Investigations Department, Central Intelligence Unit, and Tactical Response Unit, according to an official police statement released Wednesday.
The enforcement action targeted properties across Wilton’s Yard, Belair, and Dierre Fort, where officers executed multiple search warrants as part of the operation. At a Wilton’s Yard residence, law enforcement recovered a stash of suspected cannabis alongside growing cannabis plants, and took 21-year-old Ishon Joseph into custody.
In Dierre Fort, search warrants turned up additional quantities of suspected cannabis and more cannabis plants. Police arrested six people there: 21-year-old Naheem Samuel, 45-year-old Thecla Joseph, 46-year-old Marcus Joseph, 21-year-old Leon James (also known by the alias “Tikko Bolom”), 36-year-old Ryan Louis (alias “Spartacus”), and a 17-year-old minor whose name is being withheld due to his age.
The third targeted neighborhood, Belair, led to the capture of a high-priority suspect: 31-year-old Kerius Polius, who goes by the alias “Shortcrop”. Polius was already wanted by police in connection with an armed robbery that took place on Castries’ Darling Road on May 7.
One day after the operation, on May 29, seven of the eight suspects—Ishon Joseph, Samuel, Thecla Joseph, Marcus Joseph, James, Louis, and the juvenile—were formally charged with three cannabis-related offenses: cannabis cultivation, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Six of the seven charged individuals made their first court appearances at the First District Court shortly after charges were filed, where each was granted bail set at $1,500 on a personal recognizance bond. Ishon Joseph appeared at the same court on June 1, and entered a guilty plea to all three charges against him. In response, the court handed down a $4,200 fine, a one-year probation term, and ordered that the fine must be paid within six months, with a default sentence of six months in prison for non-payment.
For the high-profile suspect Polius, formal charges were not filed until June 2: he faces two counts, one of robbery and one of unlawful possession of ammunition without a valid license. Polius made his initial court appearance the same day charges were filed. The court set bail at $5,000 for the robbery count and $10,000 for the ammunition possession count, which he has been granted.