Crime/Police
Oleanvine Maynard Honours DEA Deal – What Awaits Her in Terms of Sentencing?
Oleanvine Maynard, former Managing Director of the British Virgin Islands Ports Authority, fulfilled her deal with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, providing compelling testimony to help secure the conviction of former Premier Andrew Fahie on charges related to drugs and money laundering.
The burning question on everyone’s mind is what will her sentence be now that the federal authorities have won their case against Fahie.
Maynard was the key witness in the prosecution’s case against Fahie, who faced charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and conspiring to launder a substantial amount of money.
Over the course of two days – February 6 and 7 – the sixty-one-year-old testified for more than six hours, detailing the plan involving her son, Kadeem Maynard, and Fahie to exploit the territory as a transshipment port for a Mexican drug cartel.
Maynard, who was heard on secret recording stating she intended to use the proceeds to settle her mortgage in the British Virgin Islands, has been held in police custody for nearly two years. Her arrest took place on April 28, 2022 by DEA agents at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
On that particular day, Fahie, who concurrently held the position of leader within the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), was apprehended, causing astonishment amongst Virgin Islanders, including loyal party backers, and Caribbean leaders.
While the ex-Premier, under the scrutiny of an ankle monitor, resided with his daughters in a Florida apartment and collaborated with his legal team on his case, Maynard, along with her son Kadeem, who was arrested in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands in April 2022, and later deported to the mainland, remained in federal custody.
And in November 2023, more than a year after their arrest, the two Maynards struck a deal with federal authorities to avoid a court trial and evade lengthy sentences.
Kadeem received a fifty-seven-month jail sentence for his involvement in the drug conspiracy. However, prosecutors repeatedly delayed his mother’s sentencing, moving it from November to early January, and subsequently to mid-January.
It became evident that the outcome of her agreement hinged significantly on her testimony against Fahie.
Prosecutors constructed a robust case, relying on evidence derived from covert meetings and encoded conversations and the testimony of a DEA agent. They presented secret recordings and revealed information extracted from Fahie’s phones.
According to the testimony of the DEA agent, the agreement involved transporting the drugs through the territory in exchange for Fahie receiving an initial payment of $500,000 in cash and a percentage of the profits from subsequent drug sales.
On the day of their apprehension, the pair was present at the Miami airport to examine Fahie’s $500,000 payment and an additional $200,000 for Maynard. The plan was for the cash to be flown to Tortola on a private jet.
Maynard’s testimony linked all the elements, extending from the initial encounter with the undercover agent posing as a drug cartel member and the receipt of bribes to the elaborate plans to traffic substantial amounts of cocaine through the territory.
In Fahie’s defence, he contended that he was being set up by the United Kingdom, asserting that he believed the undercover agent was a participant in a scheme to overthrow him. His lawyer argued that his intentions were to take action against the drug cartel.
On Thursday, February 8, the jurors deliberated for a mere four hours before arriving at their decision. Fahie was guilty. He was handcuffed and taken into custody until his sentencing date on April 29.
The story of Maynard’s transformation from government official to inmate to prosecution’s star witness has been extensively chronicled in various articles by the international media.
Her next court day is expected to be her sentencing hearing, where the question looms: will she, too, be handed a 57-month sentence, or receive a more lenient outcome for fulfilling her part of the deal?
Police are urgently searching for the driver involved in a dramatic hit-and-run collision that left a female pedestrian injured after she was struck and flung into the air along the Dual Carriage Highway Thursday night.
According to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF), the incident occurred shortly after 8:00 p.m. on February 19, 2026, in the vicinity of Delta Gas Station in Pasea Estate.
Preliminary reports indicate that the woman was crossing the eastbound lane of the roadway when she was struck by a vehicle traveling west to east. Although the driver reportedly attempted to brake, the vehicle was unable to avoid impact. The force of the collision sent the pedestrian airborne before she crashed onto the roadway.
In a troubling development, the vehicle did not stop. Instead, the driver fled the scene immediately after the collision, leaving the injured woman lying on the highway.
Emergency Medical Services responded swiftly and transported the victim to Dr. Orlando Smith Hospital for treatment. Her condition remains unknown at this time.
The RVIPF has launched an active investigation into the hit-and-run and is appealing to members of the public who may have witnessed the incident or have information that could help identify the vehicle or driver involved.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the RVIPF Intelligence Unit at 368-9339 or provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 (TIPS).
Police say further updates will be provided as the investigation continues.
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, working alongside other law enforcement partners, intercepted a vessel and recovered a quantity of illegal narcotics during a joint operation last night, December 8, police said.
In a brief statement, the RVIPF confirmed that the operation resulted in the seizure of the drugs but did not disclose the type or quantity recovered. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and described it as dynamic, noting that additional information will be released as it becomes available.
Premier Hon. Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley criticised Governor Daniel Pruce’s appointment of Richard Ulger as interim acting police commissioner, saying the decision sidestepped the established process and failed to respect the advice of the Police Service Commission.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Nov. 21, Wheatley said the Police Service Commission had already submitted a recommendation for a substantive Police Commissioner and that this recommendation is expected to come before the National Security Council soon. The Governor’s decision, he argued, pre-empted that process and created unnecessary tension around a critical public-security appointment.
“In my view, it would have been better to conclude that process before appointing an interim acting commissioner,” Wheatley said. “The Police Service Commission has made a recommendation, and that recommendation should have been allowed to proceed.”
The Premier also noted that Acting Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool was returned to her substantive post of Deputy Commissioner after serving as Commissioner for one year. While acknowledging that Governor Pruce acted within his constitutional authority, Wheatley expressed concern about how the authority was used.
“Though the Governor is within his constitutional rights, I am concerned that the way his discretion has been exercised is not in keeping with the modern partnership that the United Kingdom has committed to,” he said. “The process has been poorly handled and does not reflect transparency, good governance, or sensitivity to the legitimate concerns of the people of the Virgin Islands.”
The decision follows a week of public demonstrations, during which residents peacefully protested what they viewed as political overreach. Wheatley said he and his colleagues in the House of Assembly supported the public’s right to assemble. “Persons exercised their democratic right to assemble and peacefully protest,” he said. “We respected and supported that right.”
Wheatley said he raised his concerns directly with Steven Doughty, the United Kingdom Minister for the Overseas Territories, during a call on Wednesday. He added that he has also been in ongoing dialogue with Governor Bruce through Cabinet and the National Security Council.
The Premier linked the controversy to a broader constitutional conversation in the Territory. “The handling of this matter underscores the importance of negotiating a constitution that provides greater democratic accountability to the people of the Virgin Islands,” he said. “This includes devolving more responsibility to the elected government, including responsibility for internal security.”
Wheatley is scheduled to depart the Territory on Friday for the Joint Ministerial Council meetings in London, which he will co-chair in his capacity as President of the Political Council of UK Overseas Territories. The JMC, hosted by Minister Doughty at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, is the highest-level annual forum for dialogue between Overseas Territory leaders and His Majesty’s Government.
This year’s meeting, he said, “forms part of a broader reset in the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territories.” The UK Government is expected to introduce a proposed Charter on Engagement, outlining new principles for transparency, communication, and collaboration. Leaders will also discuss bilateral compacts, long-term frameworks designed to strengthen planning and clarify shared priorities between the UK and participating territories.
Throughout the week, Overseas Territory leaders are scheduled to take part in plenary sessions, technical workshops, and political engagements covering security, development, governance, and economic planning. As Chair of the UK Overseas Territories Association, the Virgin Islands will play a central role in shaping collective positions.
Wheatley said he intends to continue voicing the concerns of Virgin Islanders at every level of discussion. “I will continue to engage in respectful dialogue with the Minister for the Overseas Territories and the Governor as we remain steadfast in defense of the security of the people of the Virgin Islands and their democratic rights,” he said.
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