The Tribune

A MAN and a woman were taken into custody in Florida after a botched Bahamian human smuggling operation.

According to The Broward Palm Beach New Times, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission caught a boat speeding in a manatee zone.

After a search, US officers apparently found a group of seven people on board as well as 18 pounds of marijuana and $15,000 in cash.

The boat was suspected to have come from the Bahamas, it was reported, and the boat’s operators were taken into custody by US officials.

One reportedly told officers she knew the boat was transporting people but did not know they were illegal migrants and also did not know there was such an amount of illegal drugs on board.

The New Times also reported a similar incident that took place in August when two Bahamians were rescued by the US Coast Guard in another human smuggling attempt. Two men reportedly pleaded guilty to attempting to illegally smuggle six people into Florida.

Illegal human and drug smuggling has been a long standing issue between the Caribbean and the United States.

Last month, the US Embassy gave the Marine Services Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force three new Mercury Verado engines for marine interceptor speedboats to help critical anti-drug smuggling efforts in the northern Bahamas.

In June and July, a series of unrelated drug smuggling operations were caught at Lynden Pindling International Airport.

On July 18, a 29-year-old Jet Blue passenger was detained by police in connection with an attempt to smuggle $48,000 worth of cocaine into the US.

The man was on board the flight when authorities removed him for questioning after the drugs were found in a piece of checked luggage. The drugs weighed more than seven pounds and were thought to be worth about $50,000.

The week before, a 22-year-old woman was detained for questioning at LPIA in connection with an attempt to smuggle almost $1,000 worth of marijuana. At the airport’s security checkpoint, the officer on duty conducted a search and discovered the drugs.

On July 6 a 25-year-old Nassau Airport Development Company employee was taken into police custody at LPIA in connection with an attempt to smuggle 15 kilos of cocaine out of the country on an international flight.

Acting on information provided by US Customs and Border Protection officials, officers from the Airport Police Station conducted a search of specific items of checked luggage and found 15 packages containing a substance suspected to be cocaine, with a combined weight of 40 pounds.

Sources said a man was aboard a Bahamasair flight on his way to Fort Lauderdale when he was detained. The drugs had an estimated street value of $240,000.