Third man denies EE drug robbery charges

(CNS): Al Elford McLaughlin (47) became the third person to plead not guilty to conspiracy charges relating to the robbery of cocaine from staff at an East End resort who had discovered the drug haul on the beach on Christmas Eve last year and were keeping guard until police arrived. Marvin Grant (35) and Fred Allon McLaughlin (53) have already denied the charges, and McLaughlin is now expected to join with them for trial later this year. All three were remanded in custody Friday following their brief hearing. 

The men are accused of all being part of a conspiracy in which Grant is accused of being the masked man who was armed with a machete when he turned up at the beach, threatened the staff, took the drugs ahead of the arrival of the police and made off in a brown car.

However, the robber left some of the drugs behind, which enabled the police to confirm that the drug haul had been cocaine.