By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE United States donated two new vessels to the Royal Bahamas Police Force yesterday as part of efforts to help this country deal with illegal drug trafficking.

The two Apostle Drug Interceptor boats join other similar vessels donated by the United States within the last several years which officials hope will help in the war on drugs.

National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage said the other vessels have proven valuable, with one being used in six major marijuana seizures that weighed a combined 10,915 pounds and had a street value of about $11.9m.

The new vessels will be deployed to Exuma and Inagua to help in drug interdiction efforts around those islands.

Dr Nottage said: “These four vessels are components of the coordinated interdiction efforts known as Operation Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands (OPBAT). Since 1982, OPBAT has been one of the most impactful anti-drug operations in the region. During the past two decades, Bahamian and US law enforcement officers, working jointly, have successfully intercepted over 45 tons of cocaine and over 35 tons of marijuana. During that time, over 600 suspects were arrested for drug related matters.”

Dr Nottage cautioned that the war against drugs would not be won simply by acquiring vessels and seizing drugs.

More must be done to destroy the appetite that some have for drugs, he said.

“Finding the correct balance between supply and demand reduction efforts will be critical to shutting down the illegal drug industry,” he said. “The upcoming Special Session of the United Nations’ General Assembly on the World Drug Problem in April of this year, along with the 60th Regular Session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the OAS this November in the Bahamas, are two key spaces where this critical balance can be found.”

US Chargé d’Affaires Lisa Johnson highlighted the donation as one that showcases the bilateral commitment the United States and the Bahamas have toward dealing with illegal drugs transshipments.

“We expect that these vessels will build further on OPBAT’s already solid track record of seizing illicit narcotics,” Ms Johnson said. “In 2015, OPBAT operations in the Bahamas led to the seizure of 637 kilograms of cocaine and 26.6 metric tons of marijuana, including over 17,000 marijuana plants, and resulted in the arrest of 76 drug traffickers.”