Drugs wreaking havoc on Bahamas:
By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:


Drug abuse and illicit trafficking threatens to "overwhelm the judicial system" and has contributed to the overcrowding of Her Majesty's Prison.

These observations were made yesterday by Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest, who also announced that The Bahamas will increase its efforts to stamp out the drug trade, which has left in its wake "chronic drug abusers."

His comments came during the handing over ceremony of the mission of Operation Bahamas, America and Turks & Caicos Islands (OPBAT) in Georgetown, Exuma from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), yesterday at the Police Training College on Thompson Boulevard.

After nearly 25 years of heading OPBAT the U.S. Army, together with the Defense Force, has seized 93, 808 kilograms of cocaine and 1,430,900 pounds of marijuana valued at over $3 billion. Despite the loss of the U.S. Army as the head of OPBAT's operations, the "war against drugs" will continue as strongly, if not stronger than before, Turnquest assured.

The transition of command was said to be "seamless" and according to both the Minister and the U.S. Embassy's Charge D'Affaires Brent Hardt, the DEA will continue to set the standard for counter-drug operations.

"While we are sorry to see the Army end its mission, I am pleased to announce that the Drug Enforcement Administration will replace the Army in Georgetown with three Bell 412 helicopters and an RU-48 fixed-wing airplane," said Hardt.

According to him, the new DEA helicopters, which can travel greater distances for longer periods of time, will continue to provide the 24/7 response time required to seamlessly continue operations in Georgetown.

The helicopters are swifter, lighter, more fuel efficient, but just as capable of meeting the threats to the rule of law and security, said Hardt.

One thing that will not change, however, is the "enduring partnership between the United States, The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos symbolized by OPBAT," he added.

Meanwhile, Minister Turnquest outlined his expectations for the DEA, and welcomed a group which has already worked with the program for a number of years.

"We are confident that the consistency and effectiveness of the drug fight by OPBAT in is in good hands. We expect that OPBAT will continue to result in seizures of dangerous drugs and the arrest and prosecution of traffickers and to have a deterrent effect for those that would seek to use the territory of the partners, The Bahamas, the United States and Turks and Caicos Islands, for their illicit activities. Welcome to this important operation," he said to the group of officers.

The Minister applauded the efforts of all in the partners in the OPBAT mission, including the Royal Bahamas Police and Defense Forces, which have resulted in the prosecution of major drug traffickers and contributed to the dismantling of nefarious drug cartels.

"We have seen drug trafficking into and through The Bahamas, once a favored route, decrease by over 70 percent in the last two decades. Let there be no mistake, however, drug trafficking is a serious criminal activity, an activity that continues to contribute to crime and criminality and a host of social and health maladies in our Bahamas. Drug abuse and illicit trafficking has left in its wake chronic abusers; it threatens to overwhelm our judicial system, has contributed to the crowding of our prisons and has challenged the value system that has undergirded Bahamian society through the centuries," he continued.

For this reason, Turnquest said OPBAT must stop at nothing to confront these problems.

He noted that there have been dramatic changes in the world, particularly since the horrific acts of terrorism that brought down in the Twin Towers in New York in 2001, which resulted in the United States' "War on Terror" currently taking place in Afghanistan. The U.S. Army officers, previously stationed in the Bahamas, along with their three Black Hawk helicopters, will be redeployed to that country.

"We recognize therefore the need of the U.S. to redeploy particular assets of the Department of Defense in the national security interest. We find particularly satisfying, however, the assurances the U.S. government has been able to give that the Army must leave, but that the quantum of assets it contributes to OPBAT would not be diminished, and in fact, would be strengthened," Turnquest said.

Edward Frothingham III, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter-narcotics, and Minister of Home Affairs in the Turks and Caicos Islands Galmo Williams, also agreed that the move was a welcome one.

Minister Williams said the Turks and Caicos government is committed to stamping out "every inch" of drugs in that country.

10/02/07