National Security Minister Warns Drug Traffickers Amid Lethal U.S Strikes

Advertisement

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – National Security Minister Wayne Munroe says he isn’t concerned that the Trump administration has named the Bahamas among 23 countries considered major drug transit or illicit drug-producing states.

The list, released on September 15, also includes five Caribbean nations such as Belize, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.

Munroe explained that The Bahamas only appears on the list because of its location.

“If The Bahamas had a list for the U.S. and Canada, it would include them for marijuana that is smuggled here largely from those countries. The reality is we don’t produce drugs; we are a transit country simply because of where we are located.”

The minister stressed that The Bahamas does not produce or consume the drugs smuggled through its territory to the United States. Instead, he said, the country’s geography makes collaboration with international armed forces essential.

“We deploy resources not only to interdict cocaine coming through The Bahamas to the U.S., but also marijuana and guns coming from the U.S. to us. Just as we expend resources to stop drugs heading north, we would expect the same effort in return.”

Recently, President Donald Trump revealed that U.S. forces carried out a lethal strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing three men.

Munroe said the Royal Bahamas Defence Force will not be engaging in such attacks, but he had a clear warning for local traffickers.

“The message to Bahamian drug traffickers, or any traffickers, is simple: if you don’t want to risk being blown up by the Americans, stop trafficking drugs.”