Diplomat caught with coke in London

A Canadian-based Vincentian, bearing a diplomatic passport, has been arrested in London and charged with the importation of one kilo of cocaine.

Rueben Morgan, who is the uncle of local marketer Desmond Morgan, the husband of Attorney General Judith Jones-Morgan, was reportedly nabbed this week at a London airport where he had travelled for the funeral of a relative. {{more}}The one kilo of cocaine was reportedly found in one of the three pieces of baggage he carried.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves acknowledged Wednesday evening to SEARCHLIGHT that Morgan had in fact been given a diplomatic passport because of his work in Canada among farm workers and his connection with potential Eastern European investors.

Morgan had been in St. Vincent and the Grenadines this past weekend and was seated prominently up front at the Unity Labour Party Convention.

Dr. Gonsalves said that from all reports Morgan had been “an upright man” thus the issuance of the diplomatic passport to him.

He explained that this country has just two categories of passports which are issued to Vincentian nationals.

The government has issued diplomatic passports to several outstanding Vincentians including sportspersons Pamenos Ballantyne, Skiddy Francis-Crick, Nixon McClean and Cameron Cuffy and calypsonian Alston Becket Cyrus.

Before now it was not known publicly that other persons had also been issued this level of passport.

The Prime Minister pointed out that as soon as he learnt of the arrest, he contacted the resident British Representative and informed him that the government was revoking Morgan’s diplomatic passport. He said that a diplomatic note was later sent to the British Government. Dr. Gonsalves also said that he had also apprised the leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace of the situation.