The operation which led to the arrest of 22 people in Bimini.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
LAW enforcement officers arrested 22 people during a massive operation in Bimini on Saturday.
The operation, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Samuel Butler, was a collaboration between the police and defence force and comes after two people were murdered on the island in separate incidents in April and May.
“The purpose of the operation was to follow up intelligence that was gathered from Bimini,” ACP Butler said yesterday. “It was a multi-facetted approach looking at possible suspects from the recent murders to drug trafficking to migrant smuggling.
“The plan was to make contact with the island under the cover of darkness from air, land and sea. We had in excess of 150 officers in the operation.”
ACP Butler said 13 people were brought to New Providence for further investigations. They included a family of three associated with the seizure of a kilo of cocaine at their residence and a family of two arrested after officers found 40 rounds of .40 ammunition. The others were brought in relation to migrant smuggling, drug trafficking and recent homicides.
“There were a number of other minor drug violators associated with minor drug possessions that were processed right in Bimini –– about nine persons in total,” he said.
The operation began at 4am and ended around noon.
Asked if authorities have growing concerns about criminal activity on Bimini, ACP Butler said: “Generally, the people in Bimini are law-abiding people. It’s a small community, but you have a few persons who involve themselves with illegal activity and I want to be careful against branding the law-abiding citizens who are by and large the majority that simply works hand in hand with police with the few who engage in criminal activity and give Bimini an adverse name. From our perspective, we are satisfied that the general populace of Bimini is conforming to the law and have high regards for working in a cordial way for law enforcement. Had it not perhaps been for those two homicides earlier this year, a lot of this attention may not have been on Bimini in such a way. We took this action to maintain a level of calm and ensure a safe community in Bimini.”
Comments
John 5 years, 5 months ago
Is this another one of those Marvin Dames led, US supported assault on a Bahamian community where blaring headlines scream across the world chiding the words of ‘massive operation ‘ that captured 22 persons, but only 2 or maybe 3 will actually end up before the courts? When will Marvin Dames stop being a puppet for that Uncle Tom part of US law enforcement that does not like Bahamians and when will Dames and Anthony Ferguson start doing some real policing of their own and stop pandering to false flags. The Bahamian public wants to know what really happened st government house on that fateful night. They want to know who really fired those shots on the Montagu ramp causing multiple injuries. They want to know why the action to lock down and cripple business at Potters Cay was so sudden and so swift and under whose authority was the area turned into a heavily guarded ‘war zone’ causing economic hardship on dozens of vendors, without apology or compassion. They want to know how three persons were arrested and detained for the John Bull robbery/invasion but a fourth person still runs free and with all the loot. And the killing of young men in this country? What intelligence does the police have, except that which is fed to them by foreign agents. Or does the police department have the capacity to put boots on the ground or is it that they are so comfortable doing the beck and call of foreigners who hate their guts?
John 5 years, 5 months ago
Asked if authorities have growing concerns about criminal activity on Bimini, ACP Butler said: “Generally, the people in Bimini are law-abiding people. It’s a small community, but you have a few persons who involve themselves with illegal activity and I want to be careful against branding the law-abiding citizens who are by and large the majority that simply works hand in hand with police with the few who engage in criminal activity and give Bimini an adverse name. From our perspective, we are satisfied that the general populace of Bimini is conforming to the law and have high regards for working in a cordial way for law enforcement.
Yet they touting a "MASSIVE BIMINI OPERATION!" Are these the insane hypocrites in charge of keeping this country secure? And the US State Department says there was never any concern of a terrorist threat or attack from The Bahamas. Stop harassing and terrorizing Bahamians and Bahamian communities in the name of law enforcement. Some of y'all may end up in Fox Hill!
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