The saga of illicit trading in The Bahamas began well before narcotics trafficking ...with bootlegging and piracy... ...So entwined is Bahamian history with smuggling and outrunning the law, it permeates Bahamian culture... ...The Bahamas cannot afford to lose investor confidence with the country’s governing stability marred by increased criminal activity

Drug trafficking via The Bahamas

thenassauguardian editorial

With over 700 islands spread across thousands of miles of water, The Bahamas’ coastline provides innumerable opportunities to smuggle drugs, weapons and humans.  There are simply too many places to hide, stash, and transit illegal goods and too few resources to track, locate, and arrest perpetrators.

The Bahamas has the uncanny ability to attract so-called dubious individuals – from financiers avoiding extradition or taxes, to drug and human traffickers.  Our island nation of some 350,000 does little to halt the perception that participation in illegal activities is welcomed here.

Drug trafficking is alive and well in The Bahamas as evidenced by the stash of 345 pounds of cocaine worth $2.5 million found at North West Cay, off Great Inagua.  The joint operation between the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) attests to the crucial coordination between The Bahamas and U.S. governments to thwart drug smuggling.

The Bahamas has a partner with vast resources to help combat narcotics trafficking, but unless Bahamians make a commitment to prosecute and incarcerate dealers in a timely manner, drug trafficking will continue to proliferate across the islands.  The Bahamas must also commit to harsher sentences for those caught smuggling large amounts of narcotics.

As vast as the waters of The Bahamas are, the airways are not immune to drug transit.  In just two months, police have reported the confiscation of over 50 pounds of cocaine at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).  In August police allege an individual upon arrival to customs was found with four and a half pounds of cocaine; in mid-July police allege an individual with over seven pounds of cocaine was discovered; and in early July over 40 pounds of cocaine was found on a commercial airline after police acted on information from U.S. Customs & Border Protection personnel.

The Bahamas must press forward in the fight to combat the trafficking of drugs through our country.  Though it may never cease completely, we cannot ignore the affiliation of drug trafficking to other crimes being committed.  We only need to look at Mexico.

The saga of illicit trading in The Bahamas began well before narcotics trafficking with bootlegging and piracy.  So entwined is Bahamian history with smuggling and outrunning the law, it permeates Bahamian culture.  But set now in the global age, The Bahamas cannot afford to lose investor confidence with the country’s governing stability marred by increased criminal activity.

Sep 06, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Higher taxes for the business community may erode investor confidence says The Nassau Institute

'Taxes hitting investor confidence'
By INDERIA SAUNDERS
Guardian Business Reporter
inderia@nasguard.com:



The Nassau Institute is pressing government to accept investor confidence may be eroded because of recent changes to public policies that have resulted in higher taxes for the business community.

It's among the most recent commentaries put forth by the group that advocates a free market Bahamas.

While the institute agrees that the U.S. economic downturn has serious consequences for The Bahamas, it believes there are things that can be done to help inject some enthusiasm into the entrepreneurial class-and introducing new taxes is not one of them.

"A government should not be destabilizing the business community with excessive taxation nor blindsiding them with rule/regulation changes that do not seem to be well thought out,"said a statement from the group."Yet The Bahamas economy has certainly had an abundance of new taxation and regulation in recent months.

"The government, while finally realizing their profligate borrowing and spending must be brought under control. It should also accept that investor confidence is rattled when they are not sure what public policies to expect next. So there is a delicate balance between"reasonable"taxes and rules/regulations and over taxing and over burdensome rules/regulations."

According to the institute, the public sector is now beginning to experience the devastating effects of these very tough economic times that the private sector has been under for two years now, and there are no easy political answers. It points to a recent article written by Dr. Robert Higgs, an economist, who asserts genuine economic recovery requires a substantial reduction of government expenditure, taxes and regulations, along with a credible government commitment to stay this less burdensome course.

The columnist believes it would give private entrepreneurs the confidence and time to generate prosperity; however, he said that anemic private employment tempts politicians to intervene even more in the economy, which heightens the uncertainty and discouraging investors further in a vicious cycle.

It's something the Nassau Institute agrees with fully.

"Recovery depends on private sector growth,"it said,"and shrinking the size of a government(expenditure, borrowing, taxes, regulation)that is now beyond the capacity of the private sector to support."

8/16/2010

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International