Greek Coca-Cola heir Alkiviades “Alki” David, has been arrested on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts after a search of his private jet uncovered more than $1.3 million worth of cannabis plants on board.
Multiple reports state that Alki was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Unit at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, days after the plane had landed, when him and his entourage tried to leave the island.
According to reports, customs found approximately 5,000 cannabis plants, seeds and a variety of other cannabis products onboard the private jet.
The heir to the Coca-Cola fortune had travelled to the Caribbean Island with Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, before his private jet was searched by customs.
According to The Daily Express, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, Nevis Police Force confirmed that Mr David was charged with intent to supply, possession of controlled drugs and importation of a controlled drug into the federation.
Alki claimed that the products on board were "all hemp" – the non-psychoactive strain of the plant grown specifically for industrial uses, which he was transporting as part of his new business with US billionaire Chase Ergen to start a legal cannabis business in the region.
In April 2019, Alki and Chase announced that they had formed SwissX, a consortium which specialises in CBD medicines and hopes to develop the legal cannabis market in eastern Caribbean nations such as St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Antigua.
Alki's fellow billionaire business partner, Chase Ergen was also arrested days later and remains locked up.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Greek Coca-Cola heir calls his business partner's arrest a 'set up' and said the additional drugs were in fact his medication for bi polar.
The two men released a statement saying they were "working to make sure the island takes its rightful place as a leader in the world's fastest growing industry - legal CBD hemp. Our intention is to work with the government, the courts, the banks, the business sector, and the farmers to develop a fair system that creates thousands of jobs on the island and uses Swissx's international distribution network to make St. Kitts-Nevis cannabis products among the most sought after in the world...We've have met with Prime Minister Harris to talk about coordinating support efforts before we leave next week for meetings in Dominica and other Caribbean island nations that have shown great interest in our cooperative partnership. Those talks have broken down and led to the arrests of David and Ergen. David and Ergen's legal team has arrived from the UK and will be filing lawsuits against PM Harris and the government this week."
The Greek billionaire was released after he payed a $30,000 cash bail, surrendered all travel reports and is required to report to the Frigate Bay Police Station for daily check-ins. He is scheduled to appear at Basseterre Magistrate Court on May 14.
*News and Image Source: Daily Mail
