BVI News

Court dismisses Hodge’s appeal, reduces sentence

Violet ‘Letty’ Hodge. (File photo)

Violet ‘Letty’ Hodge, who was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine, has failed in her appeal to quash the conviction.

However, the Court of Appeal has shaved one year from Hodge’s initial six-year prison sentence.

While dismissing Hodge’s appeal on February 27, the court said Hodge must still pay the previously-imposed $100,000 fine. The offender will spend an additional six months at Her Majesty’s Prison if she does not pay the sum.

Magistrate Ayanna Baptiste Dabreo had sentenced the former President of the BVI Horse Owners Association back in September 2016.

The Prosecution’s case

It was the prosecution’s case that Hodge conspired to import cocaine between the January 1998 and September 2010.

The court was told that an estimated $30 million dollars worth of drugs may have been trafficked through the BVI during that time.

The prosecution claimed that she and her husband Earl ‘Bob’ Hodge travelled to Venezuela for discussions about drug deals and that Mrs Hodge often operated as the translator from Spanish to English.

During the court proceedings, Principal Crown Counsel Tiffany Scatliffe Esprit and Senior Crown Counsel O’Neil Simpson represented the Crown while attorneys-at-law Julian Knowles and Patrick Thompson represented Hodge.

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28 Comments

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  1. Coco and souse says:

    She still around taught she and was in a prison just my taught.

  2. hmmm says:

    so the dialysis patient who allegedly import the cocaine and shoot the police in his eye walks free…..and the cancer patient who conspired to bring in cocaine gets jail time…..hmmmmm i dont get our justice system

    • Bam says:

      Connect the dots and you will understand.

    • @hmm says:

      Because the cancer patient doctor said her cancer was not that bad… yes!

      • Hi says:

        It shouldn’t be based on the your illness. Whether you imported cocaine, or you shot someone regardless where to. Then it’s should be jail time.

        What you would see in future that the Drug Lords etc. will use sick people to import their drugs and then you will have a problem

    • Former Texas student says:

      The Dialysis patient already spent his time in jail. Furthermore, he was not the one who shot the police in his eye.

    • My T says:

      Would you like to see your tax payment go up? Because its our tax money would have to pay for the individual dialysis treatment and their special diet. Therefore they were release after serving a good much years.

  3. hmm says:

    I woulda spend the next 6 months in prison tuh rass. My 100 thousand woulda stay in my pocket.

  4. Hypocrisy? says:

    Meanwhile, the other masters, profiteers and king pins of the trade/business are doing business as usual.

    The business runs deep and from the top of society [you will be shocked if some were exposed] down to nickel dime seller on the street corner.

    Business is business they say, greed will never cease with the human, and many casualties to addiction and death will litter the human path along the way, while the peddlers of death, addiction and destruction gets respect, honor and appreciation from said society.

  5. M n M says:

    What about the politicians in shirt and tie when are they going to jail?

    • Bills says:

      They will go to jail when we stop playing party politics and nepotism. We are quick to call down each other over pettiness but crawl when it comes to holding one accountable for their actions. The sad part is we the people voted for such and this will continue until we stand up for doing the right thing.

  6. Confusion says:

    Lil 100000 she aint pay up yet …

  7. Talk says:

    Sadly … very true veru true

  8. Joseph says:

    Will she be deported after sentence completion?

    How come the BVI Natives are not demanding that?

    So because she is White she is not considered a garrot.

    How come black people reserve more hatred for each than than for other races?

  9. @Joesph says:

    Yuh ras! Z——a n Suh

  10. Facts says:

    She from rock..big fam.

  11. hmm says:

    godmother!

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