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fighting drugs as it consolidated all law enforcement agencies under one Minister, the hard-line A. Loftus Roker. Prior to the June election, Minister Roker announced his intention to retire from government. Under the new cabinet reorganization, responsibility for the police
and defense forces has been transferred to the Attorney General's office, headed by long-serving Paul L. Adderley. He has indicated a desire for close cooperation and has confirmed previous methods of U.S./Bahamian law enforcement cooperation.
A U.S./Bahamian anti-narcotics working group/task force was established formally at an organizational meeting February 11, 1987, and a full meeting with ranking U.S. and Bahamian law enforcement officials was held in Nassau July 9, 1987 under the co-chairmanship of the Ambassador and the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Clement Maynard. The task force was mandated by the 1986 Anti-Drug Act, and three meetings of the U.S. element of the body have taken place, the most recent meeting was held on July 8.
The 1986 Anti-Drug Act also authorized communication improvements and the Department of Defense completed in June an extensive communications plan for the Bahamas. Under that plan, task force communications will be significantly upgraded providing secure communications between the
the various U.S. and Bahamian entities in the drug fight. Purchase of the requisite equipment is expected later this year.
The GCOB has agreed in principle to docking facilities for the U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Bahamian Defense Force vessels at Georgetown, Exuma. The same site is to be used for the second aerostat radar. A boat lift facility for the RBDF base is also being established in Corral Harbour, New Providence, and arrangements are being made to obtain additional
additional OPBAT helicopters from excess DOD stocks which will be operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The reporting period has seen record seizures as shown in the following mid-year statistics:
Cocaine Marijuana
9331
101.6*
* (with
about two-thirds
lbs mt
of that figure
from one mother ship seized i n June)
These figures compare most favorably with cocaine seizures during the first six months of 1986 and 1985 of 2805 lbs and 3753 lbs respectively, and marijuana at 6.7 mt and 12. 4 mt respectively.(**) Seizures in 1987 undoubtedly will exceed any previous year.
( * * ) (Note: some marijuana was destroyed i n place
during
those
periods).