Big money making in illegal marijuana industry, low grade ‘babbit’ prices astronomical in TCI

#TurksandCaicos – January 17, 2018 – Providenciales – Selling ‘weed’ in the Turks and Caicos is an illegal but lucrative business as prices for a gram of marijuana in the TCI, far surpass many nations in the region including Jamaica, Mexico and Colombia.   It seems that like most things in the Turks and  Caicos, ‘weed’ just costs more; significantly more.

TCI Police on Monday in Five Cays made a significant drug bust where some 15 pounds of marijuana was seized and two men – a Bahamian and an American – were arrested.  The street value of the drugs, legally identified as cannabis in this jurisdiction, is a staggering $68,000 for the fifteen pounds.  This equates to $10 per gram or over $4,533 per pound.    Comparatively, the Drug Enforcement Unit of The Bahamas and Drug Enforcement Agency of the United States consistently in 2017 put the street value of marijuana per pound at $1,000 following drug arrests in The Bahamas.  The price per pound of the contraband often accompanied Police reports on drug seizures.

A 2015 news report on the rising cost of marijuana was among the online posts we reviewed to check and double check the going rates for marijuana per gram and per pound around the world.  Price ranges on the marijuana were revealed for six countries, including the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Colombia, Thailand and Mexico and spanned from $600 to $6,000 per pound.  California, in 2015 had the most expensive marijuana price tag per pound, getting up to as much as $6,000.  However, this price is the top value for top of the line ‘weed’.

In the Turks and Caicos, those familiar with the price of a gram of ‘ganja’ told Magnetic Media that the local weed is low grade, nicknamed, ‘babbit’ and costs between $10 to $30 per gram.  That figure is staggering, and actually is five times more expensive than even the finest quality of marijuana.

“The dope here is garbage mostly, as from what I was told but some pushers do get their hand on good dope sometimes.”

Another said, “…the weed ain’t no high grade or Kush.  Kush is the highest.  (Here) it is low grade and it is called Babbit.  Haitian weed don’t be too expensive, Jamaican and American weed is the killer.”

What Magnetic Media uncovered in under an hour was concerning and it may answer at least a part of the question of why some young men resist getting a regular job in the Turks and Caicos.  If there is that option of peddling marijuana, we can tally up pretty easily that there is far more money to be made, likely in a shorter span of time, though illicitly.

The two men arrested during a stop and search on Monday were not only found to be with the illegal drugs, but were found to have entered the Turks and Caicos illegally.  Perhaps word is already getting out that one gets more bang for the buck in the TCI for mediocre marijuana and the law must be ready.

“The quantity and the quality is important in any case because depending on the type of weed it is, that tells you what the street value is.  The highest gets to $20 a gram, the lowest is $5 or $10 a gram.”

The explanations to Magnetic Media about the contrasts and street savvy on the illegal trade lends to new ideas about what could be fueling and funding the illegal sloop landings in the Turks and Caicos, for example.  The realities also ramp up the pressure upon leaders from all sectors to do more to discourage illegal behavior among our boys in particular.

It will be difficult though, as we are awakened even further to the fact that one could illegally earn some $22,665 with the sale of marijuana, equating to a 5lbs bag of rice.  This earning reality means that the corner drug dealer is making considerably more than the country’s leaders per month.   On the other hand, the punishment for breaking the law is also weighty; one could spend up to five or 14 years in Turks and Caicos prison for illegal drug possession and drug trafficking.

Photo credit: Westword