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Mitchell Welcomes The Interdiction Committee (TIC) to OPBAT Award Ceremony and Roundtable Discussion‏
Nov 14, 2014 - 11:58:38 AM

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Remarks For The Honourable Frederick Mitchell, Minister Of Foreign Affairs &

Immigration at The Interdiction Committee Roundtable Discussion,

13th November 2014,

Breezes, Hotel

9:30AM


 
The Honourable Dr. Bernard Nottage, Minister of National Security,

The Honourable Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs,

Chargé d’Affaires Lisa Johnson, United States Embassy

Commissioner of Police Mr. Ellison Greenslade, The Royal Bahamas Police Force

Commodore Mr.Roderick Bowe, The Royal Bahamas Defence Force

Members of the United States Delegation

Bahamian Government Officials

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good

Morning.

Established in 1983, Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) is a multi-agency, international drug interdiction effort focused on stopping the flow of illegal drugs from South America and the Caribbean to The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the United States.  To date, it is estimated that OPBAT has reduced the flow of cocaine through The Bahamas by 70% and is considered one of the most successful counter drug enforcement initiatives in the region.

The OPBAT Operations Center, is located in the American Embassy in downtown Nassau, and is responsible for initiating and prosecuting law enforcement cases in the Bahamian “Area of Responsibility”.

The OPBAT initiative is vitally important to reduce the flow of illicit drugs into The Bahamas, as our porous borders, afford individuals the opportunity to traverse the country illegally in an attempt to make landfall in the United States to deliver their illegal cargo.

The Bahamas, in recent years, has seen a significant growth in violent crimes due to the movement, and distribution of illicit drugs. The movements of these drugs act as a bridge to organized crimes such as trafficking in human beings and in weapons. It has been found that criminals not only attempt to transport one particular item independent of the others, but rather, it is the trend to transport the three together.    

 As The Bahamas looks toward the future, it recognizes the vast amount of good occurring as a result of the OPBAT initiative, evident in the reduction of illicit drugs and irregular migratory flows.  The initiative has been proven to be beneficial and has become a virtual necessity in the fight against the transport of illicit drugs, an initiative that should be continued.

While the primary focus has been counter drug efforts, the OPBAT assets have also been utilized for natural disaster response as well as search and rescue excercises.

Truly this is a mammoth task by any measure, and the tripartite agreement is currently exceeding all expectations.

It is therefore my honour and privilege ladies and gentlemen, to welcome you to the (OPBAT) Award Ceremony and “Narcotics Trafficking Trends and Interdiction Efforts in the Caribbean” Roundtable Discussion.

On behalf of The Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I wish to congratulate OPBAT for Outstanding Achievement in Joint Operations during 2013, in attempts to counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean transit zone.


I Thank You.

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