Illegal drug trade in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Illegal drug trade in the Turks and Caicos Islands involves trans-shipment of cocaine and marijuana through The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to the United States.[1]

Developments

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Then Chief Minister Norman Saunders was arrested in March 1985 together with Commerce and Development Minister Stanford Missick.[2] Saunders was alleged by the US Drug Enforcement Administration to have accepted $30,000 from undercover agents to ensure safe passage of drugs by permitting safe stopover refuelling of drug flights from Colombia to the United States.[2] Video evidence showed Saunders accepting $20,000 from an agent.[2]

Saunders was convicted in July 1985 of conspiracy, though he was acquitted of the charge of conspiring to import drugs into the United States (which Missick was also convicted of).[2] He was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined $50,000.[2]

In 2022, an outbreak of extreme violence, with over 30 murders, was attributed to a turf war between drug gangs looking to control drug trafficking routes.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rose, Olivia (May 16, 2016). "TCI used as major transit for drug trafficking". Turks and Caicos Weekly News. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Griffith, Ivelaw L. (1996-7), "Illicit Arms Trafficking, Corruption, and Governance in the Caribbean", Dickinson Journal of International Law, pp495-6.
  3. ^ Pegg, David (Oct 17, 2023). "Turks and Caicos engulfed by gang warfare, says Foreign Office report". The Guardian. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
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