On the same day that Knowles made his first court appearance in a Miami court, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that if convicted on the substantive drug charges, Knowles would face a maximum statutory sentence of life imprisonment.
U.S. authorities allege that Knowles and his co-conspirators used various routes in the Caribbean to facilitate their importation scheme.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, R. Alexander Acosta, and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Jonathan Soloman, formally announced on Thursday that Knowles had been extradited to face narcotics charges in Miami.
Knowles is alleged to have been a participant in a conspiracy between 1995 and 1996 to import several thousand kilograms of cocaine into the United States using “go fast” vessels.
Knowles is charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of U.S. law.
The four other counts contained in the indictment are substantive importation and possession charges each naming certain defendants in violation of U.S. law.ﾠ If convicted on the conspiracy charges, the defendants would face a maximum statutory sentence of life imprisonment on each count.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigation efforts of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George M. Karavetsos.
On Thursday, Knowles appeared in a U.S. District Court to formally face drug related charges, but yet another hiccup stood in the way of making that happen.
Knowles is still trying to secure private counsel.
As it stands, the U.S. government has appointed Assistant Federal Public Defender Stewart Abrams to represent Knowles in the case.
Should Knowles fail to secure his own U.S. attorney by September 19, sources say Mr. Abrams would serve as such.
Knowles is expected to be back in court on that date for a bond hearing or what is called a pre-trial detention hearing.
While in court on Thursday, Mr. Abrams pushed for additional time to research a new indictment made against Knowles that was filed along with existing drug charges.
After being detained for six years at Her Majestyﾒs Prison, Knowles was extradited to the United States last Monday, a move his Bahamian attorney, Roger Minnis, has admitted came as a surprise.
Since then, Knowles has been held at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami.
Knowles, who reportedly got his nickname by blowing $90,000 in one day, has been labeled a drug kingpin by U.S. President George W. Bush.
It is this that has pushed his attorneys to contend that he would not get a fair trial in the United States.
None of Knowlesﾒ family members was reportedly present for his court appearance on Thursday. However, Mr. Minnis was there.
U.S. officials are hopeful that another 24 persons will be extradited from The Bahamas to face charges, mainly in connection with alleged drug trafficking.
The United States is seeking the extradition of Austin Knowles, Nathaniel Knowles, Shawn Breuy, Ian Bethel, and Edson Watson, who have a habeas corpus application before the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of Dwight and Keva Major, who are now appealing to the Privy Council.
Lemuel Gibson, also wanted on drug-related charges, is also appealing to the Privy Council.
Others fighting extradition on similar charges are Devroy Moss, Brian Deal, Lynden Deal, Trevor Roberts, Shanto Curry, Gordon Newbold, Sheldon Moore, Melvin Maycock Jr., Torry Lockhart, Laron Lockhart, Carl Culmer, Wilfred Ferguson, Avery Humes and Derek Rigby, whose cases are all before the magistrateﾒs courts.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
