– Gangs Control The Illegal Trade

Gun crime in the British Virgin Islands is directly linked to the flow of narcotics through the territory and the gangs who control the illegal trade, says Governor John Rankin.

At a June 9 press conference, the Governor said a substantial number of murders and shootings are linked to the transportation of cocaine through the territory and the gangs who control the illicit operations.

“…a substantial number are related to the problem of the illicit transport of drugs through the territory. I don’t think this is talked about enough.  The cocaine flows through this territory, and the gangs which run the cocaine through are directly linked to a lot of the murders and shootings which have taken place.”

Governor Rankin pointed out that while the territory remains an overall low crime jurisdiction, “there are too many guns in the territory…guns which carry out the shootings.”

He added that “we need to take action through the police, through immigration, and customs to have increased controls as a provisional course coming into the territory to reduce illicit import of firearms.”

The Governor stressed that one of the key resources needed to address rising crime in the BVI is more police presence in communities with twenty-first-century crime-fighting strategies.

“The provisions in the Police Act, most of which have not yet been passed by the House of Assembly, are in line with the democratic standards in the Western world, and we need the police to have the necessary powers in the twenty-first century to deal with those who are using twenty-first-century techniques and technology to carry out their crimes.”

The BVI is a narcotics transshipment hotspot with millions of dollars in cocaine seized by the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force in joint operations with the United States Coast Guard annually.

In 2020, the island nation recorded its largest single cocaine find – a record 2.35 tonne of the illegal substance worth more than $250 million was seized during a covert operation that led to the arrest of one local police officer.

Two years later, former Premier Andrew Fahie in April 2022 was arrested in a sting operation in Miami, Florida for conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and money laundering.

Fahie, along with ex-Ports Authority Managing Director Oleanvine Maynard, and her son Kadeem, were detained in a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) operation to import at least five kilograms of cocaine and to launder $700,000 between October 16, 2021 and April 28, 2022.

The trio had planned to use the territory as a transit point for trafficking drugs and potentially guns to the United States mainland.

Fahie and the female Maynard were charged with one count each of interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering.

The Maynards, who have been in federal custody for more than a year, had originally pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges, however, they have since filed separate motions in a Southern District Federal court in Florida to plead guilty.

A change-of-plea hearing is set for May 12 for both Maynards, while Fahie, who is represented by attorney Theresa Van Vliet, is preparing for his trial next month.

Federal prosecutors have until tomorrow, June 10, to submit their sentencing recommendations to the court for the male Maynard.

Fahie, the former First Electoral District Representative and chairman of the Virgin Islands Party, remains on one million dollars bail – $500,000 cash and $500,00 surety –  and presently lives in his daughters’ two-bedroom apartment in Florida with an ankle monitor.

Governor Ranking closed his press conference stressing that tackling crime in the BVI must be done in a holistic fashion, which includes the police working with the community.

“Of course we need to work with the community because the police cannot do it all themselves. We need the community to assist the police and the police to assist the community in tackling this problem and helping to prevent those who get involved in these criminal actions.”

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