Six held as 5,050 pounds of marijuana seized off South Andros
Six men were taken into custody after Bahamian police and U.S. agents intercepted a go-fast boat carrying 5,050 pounds (about 2,291 kg) of marijuana in waters off Kemps Bay, South Andros, which the Coast Guard valued at $4.6 million wholesale. Seven men were later charged, and one was sentenced to 26 months in jail after pleading guilty.
Six men, five Bahamians and one Jamaican, were taken into custody after the
Royal Bahamas Police Force intercepted a 35-foot go-fast boat carrying marijuana
in waters off Kemps Bay, South Andros, around 12.50am.[1]The Drug Enforcement
Unit, helped by the Police Marine Support Services Unit, acted on intelligence
and stopped the vessel, then found a large quantity of marijuana aboard.[1]The marijuana weighed 5,050 pounds, about 2,291 kg, and the U.S. Coast Guard put
its wholesale value at $4.6 million.[2]
A Customs and Border Protection aircraft on routine patrol spotted the vessel
speeding through the dark without navigation lights, and raised the alert.[1]A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk crew from Air Station Clearwater in Florida and a
Royal Bahamas Police Force boat crew carrying Drug Enforcement Administration
agents set off in pursuit and intercepted the boat at 12:53am.[2]The
suspects, the vessel and the marijuana were brought to Nassau, where the drugs
were offloaded at the police Marine Support Services branch on East Bay Street.[1]
Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, known as OPBAT, is a partnership of the
Coast Guard, the DEA, Customs and Border Protection and the Bahamian government
against drug smuggling to and from the Bahamas.[2]Seven men were charged over
the haul, and one of them, a 31-year-old Jamaican taxi driver, pleaded guilty at
his arraignment in Magistrates Court to possession of dangerous drugs with
intent to supply, importing them and conspiring to import and possess them.[3]
Photos and video
US Coast Guard photo published with the account of the 15 July 2015 seizure of 5,050 pounds of marijuana off South Andros. Photo: US Coast GuardPhoto details
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Source: MarineLinkSecond US Coast Guard photo published with the account of the 15 July 2015 marijuana seizure off South Andros. Photo: US Coast GuardPhoto details
possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply; importation of dangerous drugs; conspiracy to import dangerous drugs; conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply
The Coast Guard source gives 12:53am for the interception while the Tribune reports 12.50am; the report uses the police time for the stop.
Officials valued the load at $4.6 million wholesale; no independent market figure was reported.
The six men detained were described as five Bahamians and one Jamaican, while the court later showed seven defendants; the sources do not explain when the seventh was charged.
The first hearing took place the Friday after the seizure, but the reports do not state the day the remaining six were charged or their trial outcome.
The 5,050 pounds were converted to about 2,291 kg; no separate metric weighing was published.
The marijuana was seized at sea, so the map point is the Kemps Bay locality on South Andros rather than the exact interception spot.
Details of the case after the November 2015 trial date were not found.
The MarineLink photos carry only a generic US Coast Guard credit, with no caption describing what each frame shows.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in The Tribune (Nassau): Magistrate Andrew Forbes sentenced him to 26 months in jail for the possession and conspiracy counts and 18 months for the importation counts, running concurrently from the date of conviction.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in The Tribune (Nassau): The other six men pleaded not guilty, were denied bail, were remanded to the Department of Correctional Services and were to stand trial on 10 November.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a go-fast boat 38 nautical miles southwest of Mars Bay, Andros, on 4 May 2026 and seized 2,576 pounds (1,168 kg) of hydroponic cannabis. Two Bahamian men, aged 37 and 53, were arrested and police estimated the haul at $6.4 million.
Bahamian Drug Enforcement Unit and Customs officers intercepted a 25-28ft go-fast vessel at a marina in the Lucaya area of Grand Bahama around noon on 26 February 2025 and found about 500 pounds of suspected marijuana. Two Bahamian men from New Providence, aged 35 and 38, were arrested, and police estimated the street value at $1.5 million.
Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force officers seized cannabis sativa worth an estimated US$2.83 million in two interceptions of migrant vessels at Bird Rock and Jones Cay on Providenciales on 16 and 17 August 2024. Fifty-six migrants were detained in the two cannabis-related landings, and police said the investigation was continuing.
Officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Bahamas Customs and the Department of Immigration seized suspected marijuana worth an estimated $131,000 at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau on 26 October 2023. The drugs, packed in vacuum-sealed bags, had been hidden inside three boxes of furniture shipped through a local courier company, and no arrests were made.
