Constable Yannick Leon, an officer attached to the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA), has been formally charged by police with multiple offences, including forgery, importation of a controlled drug, and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.
The charges stem from a joint operation conducted on July 16, 2025, by officers from the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit (GNFU) and the Customs and Excise Department at Shed No. 6, Port Castries. During the interdiction, officers targeted a shipping barrel that had been flagged for investigation.
According to police reports, Constable Leon, who was employed as a Port Police Officer with SLASPA, presented a fraudulent Letter of Authorization purporting to grant him clearance to retrieve the consignment on behalf of the consignee.
A detailed search of the barrel led to the discovery of nineteen sealed metal cans. Eighteen of the cans each contained fourteen packs of cannabis resin (hashish), while the remaining can contained four packs, totaling 266 packs with an estimated weight of 26.8 kilograms and a street value of approximately EC$1.34 million.
Leon was arrested at the scene and later released pending further investigation. Following forensic analysis and multi-agency collaboration, the GNFU gathered sufficient evidence to support additional charges.
On Monday, October 27, 2025, Leon was re-arrested and, two days later, formally charged with the following offences:
Uttering a False Document
Forgery
Fraudulent Evasion under the Customs Act
Importation of a Controlled Drug
Possession of a Controlled Drug with Intent to Supply
The accused appeared before the First District Court and was remanded into police custody until December 9, 2025.
The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of Saint Lucia’s ports following the arrest of several SLASPA and Customs employees in recent weeks for similar drug-related offences.
Reacting to the series of arrests, Minister for Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs, Hon. Emma Hippolyte, expressed concern and disappointment, emphasizing the need for integrity among public officers entrusted with national security responsibilities.
“As Saint Lucians, we should all be concerned. These are individuals employed to serve the public, and we cannot allow personal interests to come before the interests of the people,” the Minister said on Tuesday. “We cannot afford the level of corruption that we are seeing, and I am pleased that the authorities have acted swiftly to address the matter.”
Minister Hippolyte reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption, saying the recent arrests highlight the importance of accountability and stronger internal oversight across key state agencies.
The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has vowed to continue working with Customs and SLASPA to dismantle smuggling networks and strengthen border integrity, warning that no public officer will be above the law.
