Not a good look

BVI’s Premie and Managing Director of Ports arrested in Miami on drug sting

It is alleged Fahie agreed a $700,000 (£560,000) payment to allow traffickers to use BVI ports without fear of arrest. 

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Court papers allege Fahie conspired to import at least 5kg of cocaine and commit money laundering between October last year and this April. An informant told the DEA that alongside the cocaine smuggling, Fahie discussed setting up small busts to make it appear that the BVI was successfully tackling drug smuggling. 

According to documents seen by the BBC, Fahie told the informant the UK government had been trying to remove him from office on suspicion of corruption. "I have plenty of people, and I don't sell them out to the British with their plans... they always want to capture people, but me I see what they are doing and I protect the people,” he is alleged to have told the informant. 

In 2020 a senior police officer in the BVI was caught with $200 million of cocaine hidden in a new house he was building. In January last year, on the recommendation of outgoing governor Gus Jaspert, the UK government set up a commission of inquiry, led by former Lord Justice, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, into corruption on the islands. 

The inquiry, due to report in the next few days, is unconnected to Fahie’s arrest. It has heard of evidence of widespread corruption under Fahie, including drug running, lucrative contracts handed to allies and dodgy land deals.

Jaspert told the inquiry serious concerns included “intimidation of public officers, decisions being directed outside of processes, and allegations of links to organised criminality and to those involved in the cocaine trafficking trade, including allegedly amongst those of the highest holders of office”.

So far, so corrupt, but I like this part: Reparations!

At the time, Fahie denied the allegations and said there should instead be an inquiry into Britain’s history of slavery, including reparations. In March, Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders expressed “deep concern” at the inquiry, saying BVI should deal with its own affairs.  

regardless of the black humor in the reparations defense, it’s a fact that the drug looks have literally billions of dollars with which to buy off politicians in tiny places like the British Virgin Island, population 35,000, and throughout the entire area:

“The Caribbean  has been exposed to persistent narco-corruption due to the fact the region and its islands are important waypoints on cocaine trade routes from Colombia onwards to the US and Europe. Politicians and security forces in countries including  Venezuela, Guyana, and the Dominican Republic have been caught with their hands in the cocaine till. 

Maybe there’s a way to stop drug smuggling but if so, it hasn’t been discovered in the 100 years or so we’ve been trying.