Bahamas buying blow

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Bahamas buying blow

June 30, , p. ET Nassau, Bahamas. For three days tempers inside the British-style Parliament flared almost as high as the degree temperatures baking pedestrians in the square outside. At the top of the agenda: crime -- and the degree to which violence and corruption have taken over these once peaceful and law-abiding islands. Adderley, 'is an extremely serious national problem. People at all levels have become engaged in a wide cross section of criminal and corrupt activities that threaten to destroy our society. While high unemployment and the election violence of and may be partially responsible for the breakdown in law and order, the main factor is the multibillion-dollar drug trade, which has encouraged crime and corruption. That figure, however, is considered to be just a fraction of the marijuana, cocaine, and methaqualone pills called 'quaaludes' in the streets being siphoned from Latin America to the United States. This spring brought one of the biggest South American drug harvests in memory , so officials believe Bahamian drug traffic will soar this year. The same inducements that made the Bahamas so successful as a tourism and banking center have proven equally attractive to the drug merchants. Strung like a chain southward from the Florida coast to Cuba, the islands and cays straddle some of the Western Hemisphere's most important shipping lanes. Secluded coves and beaches sprinkled across , square miles of water have made it relatively easy to hide the contraband on its journey northwand from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Until a dozen years ago, drug traders were foreigners, most of them Americans. But more and more Bahamians are being enticed into the business by almost-sure profits. Last year 64 percent of the 1, persons charged with drug offenses were Bahamians. Many are never caught, largely because their activities are confined to the outlying islands where police surveillance is minimal. The Bahamians are drug-traffic middlemen -- unloading, transporting, and stashing the bales of marijuana brought in by ship or plane across the Caribbean to await pickup for the final leg of the trip. They also light the clandestine airstrips and refuel the aircraft used by the smugglers. Money and intimidation make it possible to beat the law. Police investigating drug activity in the islands have found local residents not only antagonistic but obstructive. Those who do not help the authorities run the risk of retaliation. Tainted cash flowing in from drugs smuggling has permeated every sector of the economy. In the Outer Islands drug money has become the mainstay of many settlements blighted by government neglect. The story is much the same in Nassau, capital of the Bahamas, where many new commercial ventures funded by drug money are changing the face of the inner city. Retailers privately admit that cash purchases of electronic equipment, cars, and high-powered boats costing thousands of dollars are routinely paid for with. Among those who have benefited most from the business are the dozen or so Bahamian lawyers hired regularly by drug defendants. Most of those charged with drug offenses prefer to post bail and skip the country rather than face lengthy jail terms. Bahamian drug laws were amended last year to stiffen the penalties for drug suppliers. The changes also provide for forfeiture of any money, aircraft, vessels, or whatever else may have been used in connection with the offense. Nearly boats and planes and scores of automatic weapons have been seized in the past two years. The attorney general has complained, however, about the degree of court leniency toward drug offenders. He says it is frustrating police efforts. Adderley told Parliament he was also aware of successful attempts to bribe juries and to have drug cases withdrawn before they could come to court. The social effects of the trade have proven even more destructive. The use of marijuana, methaqualone, and cocaine is widespread, particularly in the schools, where children as young as seven years have been hospitalized with drug-induced psychoses. Medical authorities say drug abuse is the biggest health problem facing the country today, outweighing alcohol consumption, which the say is the third highest per capita in the world. Police see a direct link between drugs and the rapid escalation in violent crimes. In the past two years at least two dozen people have been killed and many more than that number injured in drug-related incidents. Robberies have more than doubled since Of the such crimes last year, 70 percent involved the use of weapon. The picture is much the same for other criminal activity. As the latest police annual report notes: 'Crime is at an all-time high in the Bahamas. In the Outer Islands, once-peaceful communities have begun to resemble the cowboy towns of the old American West. Shoot-outs are frequent between Americans and Bahamians attempting to steal 'grass' caches to sell stateside. Over the past year a growing number of local fishermen and visiting yachtsmen have reported being fired on from shore or boarded by unidentified Bahamians looking for drugs. Persons close to the scene point out that many young Out Islanders who might otherwise have gone into the fishing industry 'prefer to fish for drugs. Bahamian police admit that with a population of less than ,, the Bahamas lacks both the human and financial resources to control the mammoth drug problem in the islands. The present force of some 1, men and women is 13 percent below its established strength in , although the crime rate has doubled since then. It is estimated that at least more recruits are needed to deal with the current crime level. In addition, communications equipment, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and a variety of fast patrol boats are required if local law-enforcement agencies are to have a fighting chance against the sophisticated equipment used by the smugglers. When all Illinois legislator vacationing in the Bahamas found a dead man on a drifting boat last year, Prime Minister Lynden O. Some US officials say almost all that can be done by the Bahamas is being done, and that the Bahamas and the US are working together to fullest extent possible. But Mr. Pindling believes the US should step up its efforts; he blames US drug traffickers and users for growth of the trade. On the other hand the Bahamian government has also come in for criticism. Widespread allegations persist that major drug traffickers have been able to operate freely in the Bahamas under the protection of influential Bahamians with government connections. Although no concrete evidence has been produced to date to support the claims , they have intensified since the crime and corruption issue was raised in Parliament. Already a subscriber? Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. We believe news can and should expand a sense of identity and possibility beyond narrow conventional expectations. Your subscription to The Christian Science Monitor has expired. You can renew your subscription or continue to use the site without a subscription. If you have questions about your account, please contact customer service or call us at This message will appear once per week unless you renew or log out. Skip to main content Skip to main menu Skip to search Skip to footer. Your subscription makes our work possible. We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. Bahamas: an island paradise for drug traffickers. But most of those sucked into the trade are young and otherwise unemployed. Retailers privately admit that cash purchases of electronic equipment, cars, and high-powered boats costing thousands of dollars are routinely paid for with Among those who have benefited most from the business are the dozen or so Bahamian lawyers hired regularly by drug defendants. You've read of free articles. Subscribe to continue. Mark Sappenfield. Our work isn't possible without your support. Digital subscription includes: Unlimited access to CSMonitor. The Monitor Daily email. No advertising. Cancel anytime. Related stories. Copy link Link copied. Renew subscription Return to the free version of the site. We logged you out. Log in again Return to the free version of the site. Subscribe now Return to the free version of the site.