National

200+ Bags of Charcoal Confiscated From Cowpen Road Site

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Another illegal tree-burning site has been dismantled by authorities, and there was one was discovered in southwestern New Providence.

Published

1 week ago

February 4, 2025

Joshua Williams

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Another illegal tree-burning site has been dismantled by authorities, and there was one was discovered in southwestern New Providence.

It comes a day after the Ministry of Environmental Health conducted an assessment at a nearby site.

Less than 24 hours ago, Minister of Environment Vaughn Miller, took us to a site off All Saints Way, where about a dozen bags of illegal charcoal were found.

Tuesday morning, police allowed Our News to exclusively witness them confiscating over 200 bags from a site on a dirt road off of Cowpen Road.

It was so much that officers had to make two trips.

The confiscated coal was strapped to the back of this flatbed truck.

A walk further in the back, shows an operation we’ve seen all too many times.

Stacks of chopped trees, surrounding a coal pit with smoke still coming from it, discarded coal crunching under our feet and we made our way around the illegal site.

Officer-in-charge of the Unregulated Community Action Task Force, Superintendent Stephen Carey says they believe the suspects left moments before police arrived.

Drone footage shows a long dirt road, leading to the site tucked away in bushes.

It’s this same drone technology that led officers to discover this new site.

But, why is it so hard to catch and prosecute those responsible?

“We have to prove that the person I’m selling the bags have knowledge that is illegal and that comes in to play right now that we cannot even find a person responsible for any of these kills”, said officer Carey.