Feds charge Bahamian cops for taking bribes, shipping cocaine into U.S.

Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against high-ranking Bahamian law enforcement officials accused of enabling the flow of cocaine into the United States for years in exchange for bribes.

Police and military officials from the island country are accused of supporting the drug trade “at every turn,” court documents said, from the airports where cocaine comes into the Bahamas to the boats used to transport shipments into Florida and elsewhere in the U.S.

“Today’s charges should serve as yet another powerful wake-up call to corrupt officials everywhere — we will not rest until you are held accountable for your role in the drug trade that is poisoning this country and our community,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York.

The indictment charges 13 people, including Royal Bahamas Police Force Chief Superintendent Elvis Nathaniel Curtis and Royal Bahamas Defence Force Chief Petty Officer Darrin Alexander Roker. Both were arrested earlier this week in Florida and have made their initial court appearances.

Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Clayton Fernander said in a statement Wednesday that the allegations “represent a dark moment” for the agency.

“This is a sobering reminder that no institution is immune to breaches of trust,” Fernander said. “Any officer implicated in wrongdoing will face the appropriate consequences. There will be no shield of protection for those who tarnish the honor of this uniform.”

Bahamian officials facilitated cocaine trade, indictment says

An indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges Bahamian officials aided in smuggling cocaine into the United States since at least May 2021.

Prosecutors accuse officials of thwarting a program involving U.S. and Bahamian government authorities to combat drug trade in the region. Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, or OPBAT, was launched in 1982 to target drug-trafficking in the 100,000 square miles of ocean in the Carribean. The indictment said OPBAT's routine drug seizures "pale in comparison to the scope of the drug trade through The Bahamas, which is in part enabled by corrupt RBPF and Bahamian officials."

Bahamian police denied the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration access to seized cocaine, provided information that contradicted aerial surveillance, and on one occasion told a DEA agent that certain drug trafficking targets were “off limits,” according to court filings.

“Thus, while the OPBAT program has had a share of success, certain bad actors within the RBPF have concurrently worked to stifle its progress and instead to protect and assist their chosen drug traffickers in profiting through the cocaine trade," the indictment said.

In at least one instance, Bahamas police Sargeant Prince Albert Symonette facilitated cocaine shipments originating from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the indictment said, and he knew that a potential transaction was to help alleged members of the guerrilla group transport weapons from Florida into the Bahamas. Federal data shows about three-quarters of guns in the Caribbean trace back to the U.S.

At least three defendants have been arrested overseas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In addition to government officials, the indictment charges alleged drug traffickers and pilots accused of supporting the cocaine trade.

Prosecutors said pilots flew U.S.-bound drug shipments from Central and South America into the Bahamas, adding they also worked for Bahamian private charter companies that flew Bahamian citizens and foreign tourists who were visiting the island.

The defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison for cocaine importation conspiracy and related firearms charges.

Commodore Raymond King of the Bahamas military said in a statement Wednesday that those "responsible for wrongdoing will be held fully accountable.”

“The Defence Force remains steadfast in working with our national and international security partners to address matters of mutual concerns and safeguards against corruption. Together, we will ensure the continued safety and security of our nation.”

Attorneys for the defendants were not listed in court records Wednesday. The Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defence Force did not immediately return USA TODAY’s requests for comment.

Cocaine overdose deaths rising

About 47,000 people in the U.S. are arrested every year for the sale and manufacture of heroin, cocaine, and derivative products, according to the National Center For Drug Abuse Statistics, and nearly 228,000 people are arrested for possession.

Overdose deaths appear to be decreasing after a yearslong uptick, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reported 107,543 fatalities in 2023, a 3% drop from the previous year and the first decrease since 2018.

But the CDC also found overdose deaths from cocaine – an addictive stimulant drug made from coca plant leaves – increased, with an estimated 29,918 fatalities last year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Feds: Bahamian cop bosses took bribes, shipped tons of coke into US