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Fahie Daughters May Not Travel to BVI for Grandfather’s Funeral, Florida Judge Rules

Kadeem Maynard, Andrew Fahie, and Oleanvine Pickering-Maynard are awaiting trial in Florida after they were indicted in April 2022 for alleged brazen plans to import cocaine through the British Virgin Islands to the U.S. mainland. (Photo illustration: V.I. Source)

The daughters of Andrew Fahie, the former British Virgin Islands premier awaiting trial in Florida on drug charges, may not travel to Tortola to attend the funeral of their maternal grandfather, a District Court judge has ruled.

In a motion filed Thursday, Fahie sought to modify the conditions of his $1 million bond to allow his daughters — Kedisha and Khadija Fahie — to travel to the British Virgin Islands for the celebration of life of their grandfather, Winston Theodore Herbert, on May 27 at the Upper Room Victory Church on Tortola, and to spend time with their mother, not to exceed seven days.

Fahie has been confined to his daughters’ small two-bedroom Miami apartment and under GPS monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week since he was released on bail last June  following his April 28, 2022 arrest. The court recently modified the conditions of his detention to allow him to leave for doctor appointments and visits with his lawyer as his July 17 trial date nears.

As a condition of their father’s bond, the Fahie daughters were required to surrender their BVI and U.S. passports and not go near any airports.

“Additional details regarding dates of travel, and the length of stay (not to exceed one week) will be provided to the Government and Pretrial Services prior to departure. Upon returning to the United States, the Fahie Daughters will surrender their passports in accordance with the travel restrictions under the Bond Order,” the motion stated.

On Friday, Judge Kathleen M. Williams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida denied Fahie’s motion to modify the conditions of his bond to allow his daughters to travel. The so-called paperless order was delivered in a one-line entry on the court docket.

The Miami apartment where former BVI Premier Andrew Fahie is staying with his daughters as he awaits trial in July on drug and money laundering charges. A judge on Friday denied a motion to allow Fahie’s daughters to travel to Tortola for their maternal grandfather’s funeral. (Photo: Mat Probasco)

Fahie is charged with conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and attempted money laundering.

Prosecutors have said he was eager to work with drug cartels and terrorist organizations and had allegedly bragged on 8,000-some minutes of secretly-recorded audio tape about years of criminal activity, including partnerships with notorious smugglers. At one point, Fahie allegedly offered to help illegally import firearms through the British overseas territory.

Fahie’s arrest for allegedly offering to make Tortola a major through point for cocaine smuggling to the U.S. mainland came as he stepped off a private plane at a Miami-area airport after allegedly inspecting would-be drug money. He quickly claimed immunity from prosecution as the BVI’s head of state, but received none.

A long-serving employee in the premier’s office was arrested in October and charged with illegally sending a letter to U.S. officials seeking Fahie’s release.

The former BVI leader’s alleged accomplices — former Port Authority Director Oleanvine Pickering Maynard and her son, Kadeem Maynard — have remained behind bars since the trio was arrested in April 2022. All have pleaded not guilty.

At least a dozen sealed documents have been filed in the case since December, the most recent on April 28. The docket entries are labeled as “restricted/sealed until further notice” with no general description listed.

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