Released: June 2, 2011 - Three arrested after drug swoop
Bermuda Sun
THURSDAY, JUNE 2: Three men — believed to be airport workers — were arrested this week as crime fighters swooped on a suspected international drugs ring.
The US Consulate said tonight that a joint investigative team had “successfully dismantled an organization that exploited commercial aircraft to smuggle narcotics into Bermuda from the United States via Philadelphia International Airport”.
A string of arrests on both sides of the Atlantic were expected to follow yesterday’s raid in the Shelly Bay area.
It is understood that agents from US Homeland Security, Customs and the Drug Enforcement Agency have been involved in a prolonged investigation.
“This coordinated investigation identified corrupt current and former airport/airline employees in the U.S. and Bermuda who utilized their positions to circumvent airport security and federal inspection procedures to smuggle narcotics,” the US Consulate said in a statement tonight.
Bermuda police confirmed that a "substantial sum of cash" had been seized in the raid at 4pm on Wednesday.
“A combined H.M. Customs and Bermuda Police Service team arrested three men in the Shelly Bay, Hamilton Parish area for offences relating to the importation of a significant quantity of controlled drugs.
“The arrests were the result of a prolonged investigative effort with partner agencies in the United States.
“At the time of the arrests, a number of evidential items were seized, including a substantial sum of cash.”
The three men remain in custody as the investigation continues.
US Consul Grace Shelton hailed the cooperation between Bermuda and US agencies in fighting drug smuggling between the two countries.
Agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), DEA, the Bermuda Police Service (BPS), HM Customs and US Airways Security are understood to have been involved in the investigation.
Ms Shelton said: “Law enforcement is an area of excellent cooperation between the United States and Bermuda. Bilateral collaboration between allies can yield strong results, and I am pleased that working together we have been able to shut down these smuggling operations.”
The statement from the US Consulate added: “ICE/HSI has, and will, continue to utilize its broad investigative authority to target those individuals that pose direct threats to our communities both in the U.S. and abroad.”