Three alleged members of the Parkside gang due to stand trial after a New Year's Eve drugs bust at a Hamilton hotel have had the case against them dropped by prosecutors.

Kenneth Caines, 24, Dominique Daniels, 18, and Aaron Foggo, 20, all denied possessing cannabis and rolling papers at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on December 31.

Prosecutor Robert Welling offered no evidence against them on Friday, June 18, at Magistrates' Court, based on the pleas of two others arrested the same evening and already sentenced: Collin Hendrickson and Jahkeil Samuels. Hendrickson, 18, of Dundonald Street, Pembroke, pleaded guilty on May 27 to possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

At the same hearing, Samuels, 24, of Loyal Hill Pass, admitted knowingly misusing drugs on the premises of the hotel in room number 663.

The pair were sentenced last month when Hendrickson was given a nine-month jail term and Samuels got time served, according to information provided to The Royal Gazette by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Police swooped on the Fairmont just before 8.30 p.m. on New Year's Eve and found Hendrickson hiding in the bathroom with bags of cannabis in his pants, an earlier hearing was told.

The officers also discovered homemade cigarettes and cigarette ends on a coffee table.

Police claimed all five defendants had red, glazed eyes and were relaxed, despite the raid.

The plastic bag found on Hendrickson contained 19.54 grams of cannabis, while 6.9 grams of the drug was contained in another bag found in the room, and 4.31 grams in four brown paper twists.

Detectives confiscated cash from the defendants, including $1,513 from Hendrickson and $6,800 from Samuels, who rented the room in his own name.

Hendrickson and Samuels were remanded in custody after their initial court appearance in January, while the other three were released on $5,000 bail and told to surrender travel documents.

Shouts of "Parkside, Darkside" were reportedly heard from the group as they left the courtroom on January 4.

Community activist Carlton Simmons claimed in May that Police's handling of the drugs bust led to the breakdown of a truce between Parkside and 42nd Street after Christmas.

The two gangs have been locked in a deadly feud which has seen as many as ten men fatally shot in the last year.

Mr. Simmons, president of Youth on the Move, said Parkside pulled out of ceasefire negotiations after five alleged members of their gang were refused Police bail following the drugs raid.

He said some gang members were infuriated by a perceived Police double standard because an alleged high-ranking member of 42nd was granted bail on Boxing Day after being arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana.

Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva said it was an unfair comparison because those arrested at the Hamilton Princess were initially suspected of possession with intent to supply cannabis, a more serious offence.