The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE found $3.1m worth of suspected cocaine during a drug bust in Eleuthera yesterday.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash told reporters he believes the drugs are the products of a transnational crime, saying it was “(as) transhipment outside of the jurisdiction of The Bahamas into The Bahamas”.

He said that on Sunday, police received intelligence concerning an aircraft inbound to the country with suspected cocaine on board.

Local law enforcement — assisted by the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection and the US Drug Enforcement Administration — launched a comprehensive investigation.

“Shortly after 12 noon yesterday (Sunday) this aircraft landed at (the) Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera airstrip. As a result, our international partners along with our local law enforcement officers commenced surveillance exercises of the aircraft and the airstrip. “Observed leaving the aircraft (were) two individuals,” ACP Cash said.

He was not certain about their nationalities, but police said last night that the suspects were aged 28 and 37.

“They were searched, however, nothing (was) found in their possession. That operation continued on into the night. As the surveillance team and a search team continued their operation at the airstrip, sometime this morning at 9am, that surveillance team and the operational search team recovered from the airstrip some six multi-coloured bags each containing a large quantity of suspected cocaine. I can tell you when we completed the count it was 155 packages with the street value of $3.1m.”

Although nothing was found in the two individuals’ possession, ACP Cash said police have reasonable cause to suspect they are responsible for the drugs.

“What we’re saying to those two individuals that disembarked the aircraft (is) that they should surrender to the police. I can tell you and I can assure we are following very significant leads as to who they are, and they are being sought at this time.”

Police suspect the two are still in Eleuthera.