The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

US Ambassador Herschel Walker denied yesterday that the redaction of a Bahamian politician’s name from a US court filing reflected a lack of trust in the Bahamian government.

“It is strange because things like that happen, people are so surprised by it,” he said. “But you know, I think things that just happen and sometimes people just don't understand the reason why. I don't think no one understood the reason why.”

Asked whether he believes The Bahamas is doing enough locally to combat corruption tied to narcotics trafficking, Mr Walker pointed to continued cooperation between the two countries.

“The Bahamas and the US, we’re working together. I think this is a combined effort,” he said.

His comments come after a US Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit tied to the arrest of convicted cocaine smuggler Jonathan “Player” Gardiner intensified scrutiny of the relationship between US investigators and Bahamian authorities.

The affidavit detailed an undercover DEA investigation in The Bahamas and suggested that US authorities kept the government and local law enforcement out of a three-year narcotics probe that relied heavily on undercover “co-operating sources” operating on Bahamian soil.

The document alleged that an unnamed Bahamian politician met inside a Parliament building in October 2024 with an undercover DEA source and a pilot to discuss a cocaine shipment reportedly worth $30m. The politician is the same unnamed figure referenced in a November 2024 indictment issued by the US Southern District of New York.

That indictment alleged that the unnamed politician was expected to authorise Bahamian law enforcement to facilitate a $2m cocaine trafficking scheme into the United States.

The latest DEA affidavit went further, alleging that the politician met inside a Bahamian Parliament building with people he believed were involved in drug trafficking.

The court filing also said Gardiner was allegedly carrying $30,000 in Bahamian currency after being rescued from a plane crash on Election Day. The money was reportedly found in an envelope labelled with the handwritten name of a politician, but US prosecutors redacted the name in the filing.

The redactions have fuelled intense speculation and renewed pressure on the government to address its ties to Gardiner. The Office of the Prime Minister said this week that the government had received no official information identifying any public official in relation to the matter and would again ask US authorities for information.

The government has said any wrongdoing that is established will be dealt with without fear or favour.