By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Samuel Butler said authorities are concerned about the level of drug trafficking taking place within local communities following the seizure of nearly $400,000 worth of marijuana in the Big Pond area yesterday morning.

A Bahamian man and a Jamaican woman were arrested in connection with the major drug bust, police said.

According to ACP Butler, the senior officer responsible for drug investigations, the seizure happened around 6.45am yesterday after Drug Enforcement Unit officers received intelligence and subsequently executed a search warrant at a house at Water Street.

After having “made our presence known” and entering the residence in question, ACP Butler said officers discovered a number of sacks and a children’s backpack containing 390lbs of suspected

marijuana with a street value of $390,000, along with a male and female occupant of the residence. Both individuals were subsequently taken into custody.

ACP Butler also emphasised the concerns he and local police have with “the level of drugs moving within our communities and the impact it actually has on persons, particularly young persons, and the correlation between drugs and crime”.

He added: “The Drug Enforcement Unit has been somewhat consistent with this type of arrest, and while it may not demonstrate one of our largest seizures, it still represents a large seizure. We also recognise that a number of these large seizures have been found within our local communities. We are concerned with that. We also speak of the availability once its in the community for consumption, and its certainly something that is concerning to the Drug Enforcement Unit.

“We prefer when we actually make the seizure at sea, it doesn’t reach land, but obviously from time to time it arrives within the communities, and we will seek you out.”

He added: “We are continuing to follow the mandate of the Commissioner of Police, who spares no resources in these efforts to continue to have our community clean of drugs. We are a well-oiled unit and we are always up to the task.”

ACP Butler admonished drug peddlers and those thinking of possibly participating in the illicit trade to reconsider.

“The Drug Enforcement Unit really feels good about its intelligence network, the relationship with the public, the relationship with other entities, and we strongly say to persons who seek to participate in the illegal drug trade, that the Drug Enforcement Unit will seek you out, the Drug Enforcement Unit will leave no stone unturned,” he said. “We are certainly inspired by what we do. We understand the significance of going after perpetrators of drug trafficking.

“We know we have much more work to do, and we will continue to be on the front lines moving drugs from our streets.”

Last month, authorities arrested three men after drugs valued at more than $420,000 were seized in two separate incidents.

On March 19, at a house in South Bimini, police discovered 191.5lbs of marijuana with a street value of over $191,000. A 54-year-old resident of Bimini was taken into custody.

In another incident in Bimini, officers stopped a vessel and discovered 20lbs of suspected cocaine with a street value of $225,000 along with 10lbs of marijuana worth $10,000.

Two men, aged 43 and 42, were arrested and taken into custody, police said. The drugs from these police seizures total $426,000 in value and came after a major drug bust in the capital in February.

At that time, police arrested nine persons, including a Bahamian pilot and two men from Suriname, in connection with three major marijuana seizures in New Providence and Abaco. Officers seized 633lbs of marijuana with a combined estimated street value of $640,000.