By KHRISNA VIRGIL

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

POLICE yesterday said they have no information on the ten Jamaican men who went missing out to sea after leaving Grand Bahama for Miami.

Police spokesperson Loretta Mackey said the matter is out of the hands of Bahamian law enforcement.

This comes after Jamaican media reports said Bahamian police had confirmed receiving missing persons reports for four of the 10 men.

A press release on Monday said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade continues its efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the approximately 10 Jamaican men, who according to reports, set off by boat from Freeport, Bahamas on Friday, March 9, 2012."

"Seven individuals have been named to date. The ministry is currently in the process of seeking an official report from the Bahamian authorities based on an updated listing."

On Tuesday, the search for the boat revealed that it might have been part of a human trafficking scheme through Bahamian waters to the United States.

The scheme uses the popular corridor between Grand Bahama and Florida and allows Jamaican criminals safe passage to America for a price, according to The Sunday Gleaner.

The report said the scheme is used by high-profile drug and gang leaders, among others.

Ten men left for the US by boat between late February and early March of this year, according to Jamaican media reports. Bahamian police have remained silent on the matter to date.

According to The Gleaner, the men were said to be in the area of the illegal route when they disappeared, and that local police were investigating the possibility that the men were attempting to enter the US illegally.

The report read: "This is not the first time that local fishermen have forged criminal relationships with counterparts in other countries in the region. The very lucrative drugs-for-guns trade between Jamaica and Haiti for years ensured a steady supply of weapons to the island's gangs.

It added: "The 106-mile corridor between the coasts of Freeport, in the Bahamas, and Miami in the United States provides cover for criminals, as many legal travellers regularly make this trip between the two countries on legitimate business."