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U.S. report: 5% of drugs come through The Bahamas

An estimated five percent of the cocaine that is trafficked into the United States of American comes through The Bahamas, according to the latest edition of a U.S. report which once again names The Bahamas as a major drug transit country.

"Cocaine transits The Bahamas via go-fast boats, small commercial freighters, or small aircraft from Jamaica, Hispaniola and Venezuela. (U.S.) Drug Enforcement Agency estimates that this accounts for approximately five percent of the cocaine flow to the U.S.," said the 2010 U.S. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, released on Monday.

"According to [U.S.] law enforcement, sport fishing vessels and pleasure craft then transport cocaine from The Bahamas to Florida, blending into the legitimate vessel traffic that moves daily between these locations," said the report. "Larger go-fast and sport fishing vessels transport marijuana from Jamaica, through The Bahamas and into Florida in the same manner that cocaine is moved."

A country's presence in the report is not necessarily an adverse reflection of its government's counter narcotics efforts or level of cooperation with the United States, the report notes. In previous interviews Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest said the primary reason that The Bahamas remains on a list of nations in the report is because of its geographical location.

Similarly, Police Assistant Commissioner Hulan Hanna pointed out that The Bahamas has been a transshipment point historically because it is "between the supplier nations and the user nations."

"And so unfortunately we have been saddled with that label historically for many years," Hanna said yesterday.

Other Caribbean countries included on the list are Haiti, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic.

Among the country's accomplishments: Bahamian authorities seized more than 4,034.4 pounds of cocaine and about 924,250 pounds of marijuana from January to October last year, arrested more than 1,000 people on drug-related charges and seized $4 million in cash, the report said.

It further indicated that from January through October 2009, U.S. government and Bahamian law enforcement personnel interdicted seven vessels and disrupted numerous attempts to smuggle illicit drugs through The Bahamas.

"The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Operation Bahamas and Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) estimate that there are 12 to 15 major Bahamian drug trafficking organizations operating in The Bahamas," the report said. "Bahamian law enforcement officials also identified shipments of drugs in Haitian sloops and coastal freighters."

Last year U.S. and local authorities found illicit drugs on several Haitian sloops in Bahamian waters. Several Haitians have been charged and sentenced or are awaiting trials.

Last month five Haitians were charged with possession of drugs with intent to supply, after authorities seized 404 pounds of cocaine and 51 pounds of marijuana with a combined wholesale street value of $3 million from their boat.

Another challenge, according to ACP Hanna, is that drug traffickers often hide their illegal cargo on remote cays. He said locals in some instances are fueling the problem.

"The message must go out loudly from all pulpits that The Bahamas is not for sale and certainly Bahamians should not be in the business of marketing the country," he said.

According to the report, Bahamian law enforcement suggests that drug trafficking organizations have utilized air drops and remote airfields to deliver large cocaine shipments to the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas from Venezuela and Colombia.

"Illegal drugs are also smuggled using commercial maritime means. Illegal drugs have been seized from cargo containers transiting the port container facility in Freeport. The Department of Homeland Security's immigration and customs enforcement investigations into alien smuggling operations in The Bahamas often have revealed a connection to drug trafficking as well," the report continued.

The report notes that there are no official estimates of the amount of marijuana under cultivation in The Bahamas. However, it states that the American government and Bahamian officials believe Jamaican nationals are involved in the cultivation of marijuana on The Bahamas' remote islands and cays, despite the fact that only a fraction of the marijuana seizures in 2009 were in plant form.

According to the report, most marijuana loads were found concealed aboard smuggling vessels or stashed on sparsely populated islands. OPBAT and the RBPF (Royal Bahamas Police Force) cooperated in identifying, seizing, and destroying nearly 11 metric tons of marijuana during the period from January through October 2009.

The report acknowledges the government's efforts to fight against drug trafficking, noting that it has upgraded its interdiction capabilities.

Further, the report indicated that the U.S. government has moved forward with plans to rebuild the OPBAT hangar on Great Inagua.

The previous hangar was destroyed during Hurricane Ike in 2008.

"Pending the successful conclusion of lease negotiations with the [Bahamian government], construction will begin in 2010 with completion planned for 2012. The new hangar will allow the U.S. Coast Guard to base helicopters flying in support of OPBAT on Great Inagua."

Assistant Commissioner Hanna said the United States has helped the country tremendously with regards to the fight against drug trafficking.

"The Americans have risen to the occasion and given the Royal Bahamas Police Force tremendous support in the fight against crime," he said referring to assistance with training and the procurement of assets.

Source: The Guardian
Posted: Mar. 5, 2010