Bahamas opposition demands probe into politician named in drug case

Opposition leaders in the Bahamas are demanding an investigation into a suspected drug trafficker who survived a recent plane crash near Florida and was found with roughly $30,000 in a bag labeled with the name of an unidentified high-ranking politician.

The suspect, who was deported to the Bahamas more than a decade ago after convictions on drug and money laundering charges, is accused of trafficking cocaine through the Bahamas to the United States. He is also accused of meeting the unnamed politician in October 2024 at the Bahamian Parliament in Nassau to discuss a deal involving about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, according to a court document filed May 14 in the Southern District of New York.

The document stated that the politician could provide security for the planned cocaine shipment and was introduced to an unnamed suspect as a future associate. The allegations come after the Bahamas police commissioner resigned in December 2024 following the indictment of a sergeant and two officers in a cocaine conspiracy.

Michael Pintard, leader of the opposition Free National Movement party, said Monday he does not believe Prime Minister Philip Davis, who won reelection the day of the plane crash, will hold anyone accountable. "We issued warnings about the close relationship between members of this administration and characters of interest to police locally and internationally," he told reporters.

Latrae Rahming, spokesman for the prime minister's office, said the government is taking the matter extremely seriously. Local law enforcement will launch its own inquiry and the government will seek information from U.S. officials, the statement said. It added that the government has received no official information identifying any public official in the case.

"The position of the Government of The Bahamas remains wherever wrongdoing is established, any person involved will be held accountable without fear or favor, and the chips will fall where they may," the statement read.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Coleman said in a deposition that multiple drug trafficking organizations are moving loads under the protection of local officials in the Bahamas. He alleged that the suspect owns a business used to bid on government construction contracts and launder narcotics proceeds.

Coleman said the suspect was one of 11 people who survived the crash off the coast of Florida late last week. The pilot, Ian Nixon, told CBS News he lost both engines, all communication and avionics before the crash. "Basically, lost my navigation, all radios — flying over 25 years and I've never seen anything like that," Nixon said.

Dr. Duane Sands, chairman of the Free National Movement party, told The Nassau Guardian that the current administration is bringing shame and embarrassment to the Bahamas and called for a commission of inquiry. "The Bahamian people are entitled to know," he said. "The heart and soul of our country are at stake."