Coca Cola heir Alki David arrested

Greek Cypriot billionaire Alkiviades “Alki” David has been arrested in the Caribbean on drug charges, after customs officials on the Island of St. Kitts found 5000 cannabis plants on board his plane.

According to foreign media, the plants and seeds were destined for David’s medical cannabis company, SwissX, which makes products containing CBD (cannabidiol), a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis and hemp.

Alki says plants are legal

David, who has paid $30,000 to make bail, reportedly claims the plants are pure hemp and contain negligible quantities of compound THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). His new business venture of selling oil extracted from cannabis plants is said to have been endorsed by rapper Snoop Dogg.

David is expected to report to a local police station on St. Kitts on a daily basis while he was due to appear in court on Tuesday. Last month, the billionaire was ordered to pay millions to a former female employee, who accused him of firing her after she refused to have sex.

The 50-year-old's family business, the Leventis-David group, owns the Coca-Cola Hellenic bottling plants. The Davids own the live streaming service FilmOn, an Internet-based television provider, while the Leventis -of whom Alkis David is a member- owns a share in Coca-Cola HBC worth €2 billion.

(Photo credit: Daily Mail)