This publication understands that police in St Vincent made a major drug haul on Monday. The haul comes three days after a U.S. military strike in the region and an unconfirmed second strike on a fishing vessel off Northern St Vincent, last week.
Reports to the St Vincent Times indicate that some 9kilos of cocaine were seized. The exact location of the haul has not been made public yet by local authorities. However, it is understood that a raid was carried out in Lowman’s Bay on Monday. Whether the drug find was in connection to the raid has not been stated officially.
The St Vincent Times understands that there have been several reports of cocaine washing ashore in other Southern Caribbean islands since Saturday evening.
Remnants of an alleged drug boat blown up in a lethal strike by the U.S. military last week surfaced off Canouan on Saturday.
It was reported by St. Lucian media on Monday, that the U.S. strike took place off Bequia. The question being raised if this is confirmed, is whether the government was notified and, if so, did they grant permission to the U.S.
The discovery was made by a group of fishermen from the mainland. They indicated to the publication that no bodies were seen floating in the area. However, a separate find by fishermen off Northern St Vincent revealed debris and body parts.
Unconfirmed reports state that the nationalities of those found off Owia are said to be St Lucian.
The St Lucia government, through Prime Minister Philip J Peieree, on Monday said the following:
“I can confirm that people lost their lives. As to the circumstances, I have known official notification on the circumstances surrounding their deaths.”
When pressed for a more detailed answer whether those who were killed were, in fact, from St Lucia, the Prime Minister responded by saying: “I can confirm that people lost their lives. I got no other official notification on anything else.”
When asked if there is an investigation, he replied, “The issue will be investigated by the powers responsible for investigations.”
Fishermen who made the discovery said the bow of the boat was still visible with the engine and most of the hull submerged.
The location of the find raises questions about whether the boat was blown up in international waters or in the territorial waters of St Vincent and St Lucia.
The Trump administration has adamantly defended the strikes as necessary to stop illegal drugs from entering the U.S. Since the strikes began in September, at least 37 strikes have killed 120 people, excluding Friday’s strike, according to the Department of Defense.
The U.S. resumed boat strikes in late January after largely backing off from attacking boats in the region following the U.S. military’s Jan. 3 kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.