Narcotics Trafficking in TCI; nearly $1 Million in Drug Finds

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, September 26, 2023 – In the last month, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has recovered over $840,000 worth of illegal drugs being smuggled into the country.

The finds have ranged from marijuana to cocaine all found in or near the ocean, hurriedly abandoned by smugglers.

The increasingly frequent finds are pointing to the possibility of either a burgeoning or established drug trade in or through the Turks and Caicos.

We reached out to the Police to find out what was behind the successful busts, be it an increase in drug trafficking or new police strategies that have proved more effective at catching the smugglers.

We did not receive a response, however what is clear is that historically with the trade of drugs comes violence. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in a 2023 article about The Need for International Cooperation to Counter the Caribbean-Europe Drug Trade said.

“In the Caribbean, drug trafficking by organized crime has been associated with record homicide levels, corruption, democratic backsliding, and money laundering, among other pernicious effects. It has also prompted wars between gangs over the control of criminal economies, expanded illegal firearms trafficking, and exacerbated human trafficking.”

The statement rings close to what residents in the Turks and Caicos have experienced recently, especially over the last two years.

Now a newly-minted Border Force is announced for an October start and local technological capabilities are being expanded as the TCI government has expressed a determination to crush the trade of all illegal substances and human trafficking before it becomes even more of a threat to the quality of life in the British overseas territory.