Bahamian Policemen Accused Of Accepting Bribes To Bring Cocaine Into The United States

Federal prosecutors indited top Bahamian law enforcement officials Wednesday on charges that they have allowed tons of cocaine to flood into the United States for years in exchange for cash.

The police and military officials of the island country are accused of aiding the drug trade "at every turn," court documents said, from the airports where cocaine enters the Bahamas to the boats used to move shipments into Florida and elsewhere in the U.S.

"Today's charges should serve as yet another powerful wake-up call to corrupt officials everywhere — we will not rest until you are held accountable for your role in the drug trade that is poisoning this country and our community," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York.

The indictment charges 13 people, including Royal Bahamas Police Force Chief Superintendent Elvis Nathaniel Curtis and Royal Bahamas Defence Force Chief Petty Officer Darrin Alexander Roker. Both were arrested earlier this week in Florida and have made their initial court appearances.

The 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 implicated in wrongdoing will face the appropriate consequences. There will be no shield of protection for those who tarnish the honor of this uniform.".

Bahamian Officials Helped Traffic Cocaine, Indictment Says

An indictment filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York charges Bahamian officials with helping to smuggle cocaine into the United States since at least May 2021.

Prosecutors accused officials of derailing the program and Bahamian government authorities to clamp down on drugs trade in the region. OPBAT was a program set up in 1982 with its focus being placed on drugs traffic through the 100,000 square miles of ocean of the Caribbean. 

The indictment went further to explain that OPBAT's routine drug interdiction "pales in comparison to the scope of the drug trade through The Bahamas, which is in part enabled by corrupt RBPF and Bahamian officials."

Bahamian police refused to let the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration inspect cocaine seized from suspects, supplied information that contradicted aerial surveillance, and at one point told a DEA agent that certain drug trafficking targets were "off limits.".

Thus, while OPBAT has had its share of success, certain bad actors within RBPF have concurrently worked to hinder its progress and instead to shelter and aid their preferred choice of drug traffickers in helping them profit through the cocaine trade, the indictment said.

In at least one instance, Bahamas police Sargeant Prince Albert Symonette assisted in organizing cocaine deliveries that originated in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the indictment said, and he also knew that a proposed transaction was to aid alleged members of the guerrilla group transport arms from Florida into the Bahamas. 

Federal statistics indicate that fully three-quarters of firearms located in the Caribbean have their roots in the United States.

At least three defendants are arrested overseas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Besides being government officials, the indictment implicates alleged drug traffickers as well as pilots accused of supporting cocaine trade.

Prosecutors said that the pilots flew U.S.-bound drug shipments from Central and South America into the Bahamas. Prosecutors also added that they worked for Bahamian private charter companies that flew Bahamian citizens and foreign tourists who were visiting the island.

Defendants, for example, could be sentenced to life imprisonment on the cocaine importation conspiracy charge and counts related to firearms.

Commodore Raymond King of the Bahamian military said Wednesday that "those responsible for wrongdoing will be held fully accountable".

The Defence Force will not stop working with our national and international security partners on issues of mutual concern and assurance against corruption. Together, the continued safety and security of our country will be assured.

No lawyers appeared on the court record for the defendants Wednesday. Requests for comment from BBC News were not returned from the Royal Bahamas Police Force or the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

Cocaine overdose deaths increasing 

Approximately 47,000 Americans are arrested yearly for selling or manufacturing heroin, cocaine, and other derivative products. Statistics from the National Center For Drug Abuse Statistics reveal that about 228,000 are apprehended for possession. 

Overdose deaths, it appears, are finally beginning to fall, after a multidecade run of increases. Provisional numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the number at 107,543 in 2023, or a 3% dip from the number in the prior year - the first since 2018. 

But the CDC also said that overdose deaths from cocaine-an addictive stimulant drug made from coca plant leaves-increased, to an estimated 29,918 last year.