Cruise ship waiter gets 15 years

Cruise ship waiter Ricardo Stewart has been jailed for 15 years for plotting to bring four kilograms of Cocaine into Bermuda

Ricardo Stewart, 32 of Ochos Rios was a waiter on board Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. He has been in custody since June on charges of conspiring with fellow employee Adrian Morris and others to bring a large quantity of drugs to the island. Last month a jury found him guilty of conspiring to import. The drugs would have a street value in Bermuda of $424,500

Morris, also from Jamaica, was caught after CCTV on board the ship showed him hiding the cocaine. He told police Stewart had offered to pay him for his part in the scheme, and a search of Stewart’s cabin found $4,900 hidden in a box of detergent.

Morris pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to six years in jail. Another ship worker, Kelnile Bushay, testified that Stewart was the connection with guests who brought drugs on and off the vessel.

Stewart said: “This guy did this to set me up. I’m innocent. I’ve been working on the cruise ships for nine and a half years and taking care of my son and my fiancée and my mother. I’ve never been involved with anything to do with the law. These guys don’t like me; for what reason, I don’t know. I promised my son I would never be away from him more than six months. I’ve been locked up since June and the Crown wants to send me away 20 years. I will plead my innocence until I die.”

Defence lawyer Marc Daniels said afterwards that his client would appeal the conviction.