Federal prosecutors unveiled charges on Wednesday against Bahamian police officers and other top officials of Bahamian police accused of facilitating the smuggling of cocaine into the United States for years for a fee.
Police and military officials from the island country are said to have facilitated the drug trade “in every way possible,” according to court papers, from the airports through which cocaine enters the Bahamas to the boats that transport the narcotics into Florida and other parts of the United States.
“Today’s charges should be yet another loud and clear message to corrupt officials anywhere in the world — we will continue to pursue you and bring you to justice for your complicity in the drug trade that is destroying this country and our community,” the U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York said.
The indictment involves 13 persons among whom are Royal Bahamas Police Force Chief Superintendent Elvis Nathaniel Curtis and Royal Bahamas Defence Force Chief Petty Officer Darrin Alexander Roker. Both were arrested early this week in Florida and have been produced before the court.
Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Clayton Fernander said in a statement Wednesday that the allegations “represent a dark moment” for the agency.
“This is a sobering reminder that no institution is immune to breaches of trust,” Fernander said. “Any officer who will be found to have engaged in any wrong doing will be dealt with as per the law. This statement means that there will be no protection for those who bring disgrace to this uniform.”
Bahamian Officials Were Involved In The Cocaine Trade, Indictment Alleges
A criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York accuses Bahamian officials of assisting in the transport of cocaine into the United States since May last year.
Officials are said to have hampered a program that involved the U.S. and Bahamian government agencies in the fight against drug trafficking in the area.
OPBAT or Operation Bahamas was initiated in 1982 to counter drug-smuggling in the 100,000 square miles of sea in the Caribbean. According to the indictment, OPBAT’s daily busts of narcotics “are small fry compared to the scale of drug trafficking through The Bahamas, in part due to corrupt members of the RBPF and Bahamian officials.”
Bahamian police denied the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration access to seized cocaine, provided information that was contrary to aerial surveillance and on one occasion told a DEA agent that certain drug trafficking targets were ‘off limits’, court documents reveal.
“Therefore, while the OPBAT program has experienced its measure of success, some members of the RBPF have at the same time been actively involved in sabotaging the program and rather than helping to apprehend drug traffickers, they have been aiding and abetting their preferred drug traffickers to reap huge profits from cocaine business,” the indictment stated.
In at least one instance, Bahamas police Sargeant Prince Albert Symonette arranged cocaine shipments from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the indictment stated and he was aware that a possible transaction was to assist alleged members of the guerrilla group transport weapons from Florida to Bahamas. According to Federal data, around 75% of the guns that end up in the Caribbean originate from the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said that at least three defendants have been arrested outside the United States. Besides officials of the government, the indictment also targets alleged drug traffickers and pilots accused of aiding the cocaine business.
Pilots, according to the prosecutors, flew drug consignments from Central and South America to the Bahamas en route to the United States and also operated for Bahamian private charter companies that transported Bahamian citizens and foreign tourists visiting the island.
The defendants are charged with a conspiracy to import cocaine and other related firearm charges for which they could face life imprisonment.
Bahamas military Commodore Raymond King said in a statement on Wednesday that ‘those who engaged in the wrongdoing will be made to fully answer for it’.
“The Defence Force continues to uphold its commitment to cooperating with the national and international security counterparts in dealing with issues of interest and combating corruption. Together, we will guarantee the further stability and protection of our country.”
Lawyers representing the defendants were not mentioned in the court documents on Wednesday. The Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defence Force have not responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment yet.
Cocaine Overdose Deaths Increasing
The National Center For Drug Abuse Statistics states that nearly 47,000 people are arrested annually in the U.S. for sale and manufacture of heroin, cocaine and derivatives while 228,000 people are arrested for possession.
Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that overdose deaths are declining after rising for several years. The CDC recorded 107,543 deaths in 2023, a 3% decline from the previous year and the first time since 2018.
The CDC also reported that deaths from cocaine – a stimulant drug obtained from the leaves of coca plants – went up, with 29,918 overdose deaths recorded last year.