Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force officers seized more than $2 million in cannabis sativa from vessels carrying undocumented migrants in two separate interceptions over the weekend of 16 and 17 August 2024.[1]

On Friday, 16 August 2024 at about 11:40 p.m., officers responded to a reported illegal migrant landing at Bird Rock on Providenciales.[2] Fifteen migrants were detained there and searches around the landing site found cannabis sativa that police valued at US$131,660.[2] Police officers went to a location in Jones Cay, where they found two vessels carrying migrants.[2] Officers detained 41 people at Jones Cay, 32 men, six women and three minors, and seized cannabis sativa that police valued at US$2,704,932.[2]

NewslineTCI put the total at 56 migrants detained across the two cannabis-related interceptions.[3] Police said the Border Force, the TCI Regiment and members of the public helped with the interceptions, and that the case remained an active investigation.[2] Commissioner of Police Edvin Martin said trafficking contraband such as cannabis into the islands is an offence carrying serious penalties and that officers would pursue all leads.[2]

The Miami Herald reported that the two interceptions involved migrants coming from the northern coast of Haiti.[1] The Herald said it was highly unusual for cannabis to come out of Haiti’s northern coast, which raised questions about its origin and transport.[1]

On Sunday, 18 August 2024 at about 10:17 p.m., police with the help of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force stopped a fourth overloaded boat carrying 144 migrants near West Caicos: 111 men, 32 women and 5 minors.[4] That vessel was escorted to Providenciales and the migrants were handed to the Border Force for processing and repatriation to Haiti, bringing to 217 the number of Haitians intercepted in the attempts that began on Friday.[4]