Drug smuggling suspects on the loose in East End

| 20/10/2022 | 40 Comments
Cayman News Service
Cayman Islands Coast Guard vessel (file photo)

(CNS): Three men abandoned a boat on the shore by Paradise Villas in East End and escaped into the bushes yesterday after they were chased by the Cayman Islands Coast Guard. CICG officers on patrol spotted a suspicious vessel with three men aboard approaching the shore at high speed, but when the coastguard boat moved to intercept them, the men abandoned it and fled onto the shore. The police helicopter and armed officers responded and conducted a search but the suspects have not yet been found.

The police recovered the boat, which was carrying several packages containing over 250lbs of ganja, two firearms and a large amount of ammunition. The matter is currently under investigation and efforts to find the men are ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Department at 949-4222.


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Category: Coast Guard, Crime

Comments (40)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Truth? Here is some introspective observations, made while peering through a microscope.

    First, though, let’s review this post. The fact that the author identified two persons in this post by name only suggest one or the other is the responsible author. But we know the first named mention can barely formulate a sentence which suggests that he had some assistance from a close friend or family member in crafting this post, especially as he is widely known to be illiterate and incapable of writing even a simple sentence. Hell he can barely sign his name.

    Anyone who has interacted with this guy knows he is devoid of any form of intellect and has no business even being a Sergeant much less a police constable.

    This is the man whose wife chased him down Maul Road and rammed his car in the parking lot of a certain business because he had been cheating on her with a young girl.

    He is the same individual who was responsible for a police car running out of gas on maul rd post.

    It’s the same guy who was arrested a few years ago for driving around in an uninsured car.

    Statistics? Now that’s a big word. And they say hooked on phonics don’t work. Here is a stat….The author would probably benefit from lifestyle changes to improve their mental health given that smoking, drinking Pepsi, and eating a lot of pastries have been linked to diminished mental responsibility.

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    • Truth says:

      Buddy, hit a nerve there did I. When you throw a rock in a pig pen the first one that squeals is the one that got hit. OINK OINK.

      Facts are Facts and you cant change it, no matter how much you try to bullshit your way around. Everybody already sees the failure.

      To bad there is nothing you can do about it besides run your pretty little mouth off. And you call yourself a man…

      But time longer than your rope. Soon pull tight though. Swing much you will.

      Oh, and by the way, your wrong about who the author is, but I do stand up for them. Pity you got to try a childish cry for attention, guess your parents were too busy playing and not caring for you.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Where were the land-based Police while the Coast Guard chased them ashore? $6mln on inter-agency Motorola coms and they still can’t call and coordinate land-based interdiction support? Don’t we have two helicopters?

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  3. Anonymous says:

    So with all the radar technology they have for spotting these boats coming in, and the big badass marine RIB with 1000 horsepower on the back, and a helicopter which presumably has infrared and other scanning technology, they couldn’t find these three idiots hiding in the bushes of East End?
    Just feels like money down the drain.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    I agree. They are totallyincompetent.
    They went and got rid of all the experienced whiners, complainers, and clock watchers.
    Then they had the audacity to go out and hire (16) young Caymanians and give them basic and advanced training. Can you believe they actually had the nerve to try and share knowledge and experience, and not hold it only to themselves.
    What’s more they had the nerve to go and try and ensure that a back stabbing, news carrying, gossip spreading culture didn’t take root.
    I tell you, them 2 commanders the worse thing to happen to your good ole way of life, and i agree if we want to go back to how it use to be in the good ole days then they just gots to go.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Oh goody, are they setting up a booth for Pirate’s Month? ☠️ 🏴‍☠️

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  6. Anonymous says:

    You can’t police the roads let alone have people smacked off their t1ts on weed running around the island 😞

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    • D. Truth says:

      Are you saying that people using ganja can’t drive as well when they are driving while using it? You won’t see many potheads agreeing with that!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Does Ganja smoking cause lung cancer like tobacco ????

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Someone here ordered these in from overseas. I know we keep blaming the foreigners, but a Caymanian wanted these guns and ammunition brought into the island.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Good Job Coast Guard. Keep up the pressure. Two guns and ammunition off the streets. The ganja boats are a scorn to our islands and our children. Stop this Damn nonsense about legalization. The last thing we need is an increased Weed heads population. Will lead to a bunch of lazies not wanting to work, mental health increase and add further strain on our government social services.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Well, to many, its striking that the Coast Guard can’t operate their 100nm radar array, and get implausibly caught by surprise. With today’s technology, there is no reason why these international targets can’t be queried, tracked, and intercepted a mile or two inside our territorial waters…ie >10 miles offshore. More than enough time to inform cross agencies, wheel out the helicopter, and load the 0.50 cal turret. We don’t want these criminals to make landfall…or do we?!? Similarly, mid-sea “fisherman” rendez-vous should all be known from this monitored data. 24/7/365. That was the whole point of funding a Coast Guard, giving them all the toys and tech, and why they are failing at that job.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Meanwhile, back here on earth, 10 million miles away from whatever hallucinogen dominated ecosystem this person is visiting. The realities of actual crime fighting will eventually set in, and they will hopefully have an ah-ha moment and turn off the TV series they seem to get their ideas from.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    RCIP is harrassing licenced gun owners with suspicion, yet the evidence is here where the guns are coming from. The RCIP needs change, a sensible, ethical man like Scotland should be in charge of RCIP.

    Good job Coast guard.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    The criminals will just find another illegal substance to bring in. Border control is the answer and deporting criminals that are already here.

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  12. J.A.Roy Bodden says:

    From the inabilities experienced in the current system of interdiction the time has now come for these islands to investigate into a more efficient and less risk averse system of patrolling our coastline. The criminals are not easing up on drug and human smuggling and regrettably the methods we are employing are not as efficient as they can be.

    More enforcement agencies are turning to drones which are much more advantageous . Drones fly much higher ,can remain airbourne for a much longer time and can be fitted with armamanents for desruction or neutralising of their quarry.

    Drones used in tandem with maritime patrol vessels is a lethal combination and the technique would sow fear in the most determined criminals. It strikes me that with the threat heading in the direction in which it seems to be going the authorities will be hard pressed to contain it, let alone provide a deterrent.

    Consider also that drone technology will be offering a new world of opportunities for Caymanians wishing to go into law enforcement or the other protective agencies . And with developments the way they are now , drone use may be just as economically feasible as the current helicopters. Another advantage is that weatherwise ,drones are much more versatile than our present helicopters which, as far as I understand are not really adapted to fly in adverse weather conditions.

    I am not advocating discontinuing the use of helicopters. Rather I am suggesting that we lessen our reliance this aircraft and use them in a more strategic way , in tandem drones which are more versatile , able to cover a more extensive area, fly higher,are much quieter, can stay airbourne for much longer ,is not subject to human fatigue and in confrontation is less risk averse.
    Human trafficking, drug and weapons smuggling are an ever growing challenge to jurisdictions such as ours . It seems to me , the quicker we prepare and protect our borders ,the less possibility there will be for us to be overwhelmed by criminal elements.

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    • Anonymous says:

      RCIPS has been using drones for years. Maybe more drones?

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      • Anonymous says:

        They’re too busy running numbers than drones. Canoes wouldn’t have a chance if RCIPS had the motivation and skills of Ukrainian drone pilots.

    • Anonymous says:

      Sure Roy. The first Caymanian PC to give it a flight will likely crash it into the sea. As for arming them – you cannot seriously be suggesting you blow up the boats of suspected smugglers en-route are you?

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      • John says:

        Blowing up the boats of drug smugglers would certainly cut the attractiveness of that “profession”.

  13. Orrie Merren says:

    Where ganja is still being brought illegally into this jurisdiction, as in this case by boat, it risks the danger of guns and ammunition being brought in too (as in this instance).

    If there were decriminalisation of personal use of cannabis by adults in private (such as, for example, possession, consumption and/or cultivation is restricted to private premises, where cultivation is set at 5 cannabis trees per household per premises), that might very well lead to a reduction of these type of instances, because the demand from other jurisdictions drops.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Jamaicans

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  15. Anonymous says:

    Legalise the herbs and it’s one less reason for these boats to come over. I’m betting the guns and ammunition are a lot more profitable than 250lbs of bush weed

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Allow legal local cultivation and watch importation, along with the guns and ammo, decrease!

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    • Anonymous says:

      And then there will be a move to import more cocaine.

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      • Anonymous says:

        This incident, which consists of ganja, guns and ammunition, does not concern cocaine, now does it.

        So, how is cocaine relevant to this discussion? Stay on topic, please.

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  17. Anonymous says:

    Can we please just legalise ganja and tax dispensary sales? It’ll remove the trafficking incentive of that bush grade bud, create jobs, and provide a healthy revenue stream to help off-set the DP’s billion dollar spending habit – which is far more dangerous than any spliff. Oops I’m pipe dreaming again.

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    • Orrie Merren 🙏🏻🇰🇾 says:

      I agree, except not upon a recreational cannabis basis — this will not be compatible with the UN drug conventions and, therefore, will not be given assent to any such legislation (if passed by Parliament) by HM representative (HE the Governor). Cayman need not repeat certain mistakes made by Bermuda and BVI.

      Cayman needs to broaden medical/therapeutic cannabis legislation, which is extant, to allow for domestic cultivation and cannabinoid extraction, as well as research and development, and export to other lawfully authorized parties in other jurisdictions.

      Only 100% Caymanian owned and controlled businesses should be issued such licenses — no granting of Local Company (Control) Licenses (LCCL) — by a Cayman Cannabis Licensing Authority: see s16(4)(b) of our Constitution’s Bill of Rights, which already allows for this to happen.

      Commercial cannabis business, which is lawful, licensed and regulated, is perfectly poised to be another pillar of economic stability for the Cayman Islands.

      It is one route for allowing Caymanians to earn a living for themselves and their families. Far more good (than bad) will come from this — their will be identifiable socio-economic value derived from doing this.

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