Seized drugs being offloaded at East Bay Street after an interception last July. Photo: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff
By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
POLICE marijuana seizures decreased last year compared to 2014, however there was a slight increase in the amount of cocaine seized during the same time period, according to the latest drug statistics.
The statistics, compiled by the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and released by Commissioner Ellison Greenslade on Wednesday show that police seized 16,056 marijuana plants in 2015, a marked decrease from the 290,336 plants seized in 2014.
The Family Islands had the highest concentration of marijuana plant seizures in 2015 with 8,884 seized. Police seized 7,095 plants in Grand Bahama and just 77 in New Providence, according to the statistics.
The figures also show that police seized 16,009.56 lbs of marijuana in 2015 compared to 20,602.80 lbs seized in 2014. The Family Islands had the highest concentration of marijuana seizures with 12,288.25 lbs seized. New Providence came in at a distant second with 3,098.73 lbs seized, and Grand Bahama recorded 622.58 lbs seized.
However, there was an increase in cocaine seizures, with 1,541.49 lbs seized by police in 2015 as opposed to the 927.86 lbs seized in 2014, the statistics showed. The Family Islands recorded the highest concentration of cocaine seizures, with 1,465.82 lbs seized. Grand Bahama recorded 59.25 lbs seized and New Providence saw 16.42 lbs seized.
Police also seized 2.2 lbs of liquid cocaine, the statistics showed.
A total of 195 ecstasy tablets were seized by police in 2015 compared to the 18,168 seized in 2014. Police also seized .15 lbs of hashish in 2015, according to the statistics.
Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), a combined US Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Bahamas government partnership, saw a total of 18 successful drug seizures, 10 of which involved marijuana seizures totalling 11,106 lbs with 32 persons arrested and charged.
Five cases involved marijuana fields and seizures of 15,845 marijuana plants.
The remaining three cases involved cocaine seizures totalling 1,465.13 lbs and six persons arrested and charged.
A total of 1,488 persons were arrested for drug related offences in 2015, surpassing the 1,308 arrests recorded in 2014. Of that number, 107 persons were arrested for cocaine - 55 for possession of cocaine and 52 for possession with intent to supply cocaine - according to the statistics.
Of 2015’s drug arrests, 1,329 were arrested for marijuana; 881 for possession of marijuana, 437 for possession with intent to supply marijuana, and 11 for cultivation of marijuana plants.
Four persons were arrested for possession of hashish, and 48 persons were arrested and questioned in reference to dangerous drugs, according to the statistics.
The majority of persons arrested for drug related offences were in New Providence, which saw 1,044 arrests in 2015. Grand Bahama and the Family Islands recorded 247 and 197 drug arrests respectively.
A total of 1,200 persons were charged with drug related offences in 2015, 844 of which were adults in New Providence. The Family Islands and Grand Bahama saw 176 and 153 adults charged respectively.
Nineteen juveniles were also charged for drug related offences in New Providence in 2015, according to the statistics. Grand Bahama and the Family Islands each saw four juveniles charged for such offences.
Regarding control of money laundering, police also received 52 suspicious transaction reports for investigation, according to the statistics. Six new proceeds of crime – cash seizure cases – were investigated with a total of $148,962. Five proceeds of crime cases were placed before the courts, which totalled $113,906.
One attempted exportation case was placed before the court, which totalled $13,191.
During 2015, a number of cases were completed before the court representing cases from 2015 and previous years with a total of $181,764 forfeited to the Crown, which represents proceeds of crime and attempted exportation cases, the statistics showed.
Comments
TruePeople 8 years, 10 months ago
so Ganja is legal in US and Jamaica and becoming legal in Canada.
Instead of identifying this as a great time to invest in the herb industry, both growing locally, and attracting tourist, to stimulate our failing economy, we continue to pull up plants...
Amsterdam gets a BUNCH of tourist because ganja long time has been legal there. How thick headed are the "leaders" of this country???
as for the coco, i ein even gone get into that one right nah
https://soundcloud.com/true-people-ente…
Download the Full Mixtape @ https://1drv.ms/1nBkJtR
SP 8 years, 10 months ago
Regressive neanderthal politicians!
sealice 8 years, 10 months ago
How thick headed are our leaders.... man we been asking dat question for a long time and can't get no answer cus the shit in their heads gets deeper and deeper
John 8 years, 10 months ago
Does the US still have the moral authority to seize and arrest persons trafficking in marijuana? now that tons and tons of weed is being cultivated, processed, distributed and smoked in that country. The Bahamas seems to be caught up in the weave of decision making again. While I don't advocate the outright legalization of marijuana, it should at least be decriminalized for small amounts. Yes there is a great problem of substance abuse in this country, but when someone who is a victim of drug abuse gets a criminal record and cannot get employment, that complicated the problem even more.
John 8 years, 10 months ago
The Zika virus continues to mutate and become a more life threatening disease. It has now been linked to some 30 cases of creeping paralysis in Brazil. The patient slowly loses control of all their muscular activities until they get to a point where they cannot breathe on their own or even blink their eyes. They have to be given oxygen along with other life sustaining drugs and recovery is slow and uncertain. One doctor is referring to this new strain of the virus as 'Zika plus.'
TruePeople 8 years, 10 months ago
I wonder if the Zika thing is a CIA population control initiative. It's mad spookie
SP 8 years, 10 months ago
Could Zika virus be an incubating trojan horse waiting to emerge from shanty towns?
Bahamians have warned successive governments for decades shanty towns were ticking time bombs for spreading Infectious diseases. Government success rate doesn't exactly instill confidence they could contain an outbreak.
Jury's still out on Zika virus mutation, political paralysis crippled Bahamas 4 decades ago!
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/world…
asiseeit 8 years, 10 months ago
Not only Jamaica, Canada, and the U.S., now Mexico is headed towards legalization. Soon it will only be The Bahamas that is on the wrong side of this debate. How many young men's lives have to be ruined just because they smoke a weed the good lord put on this earth? The U.S. instituted drug laws to control and stigmatize latino's and blacks. I guess that is why The Bahamas continues to enforce these laws. Nothing like a black country that does the white mans bidding, and holds it's own down!
TruePeople 8 years, 10 months ago
And then still blames the white man... gotta love it...
Stanley 8 years, 10 months ago
You idiots are going to lose your tourist business to Cuba and it will be your own damn fault.
Christians. Sure. I see a bunch of paranoid stuck up authoritarians living in the past.
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