The Tribune

POLICE seized $3m worth of marijuana after the driver of a jitney led them on a chase early yesterday morning.

Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters said Drug Enforcement Unit officers received information yesterday morning about a bus suspected of transporting marijuana.

 Around 3.30am, officers intercepted the bus fitting the description in the area of Carmichael Road west. Officers followed the bus onto Boatswain Hill and then onto a dirt road. A chase followed and other units were alerted, police said.

 ASP Peters said passengers on the bus attempted to throw items from the vehicle.

 Police said officers from the Operations Unit collected the bags from the road, while the Drug Enforcement Unit continued in pursuit of the bus. Moments later, the chase ended about a mile into the dirt road where the driver was forced to a stop after hitting a barrier.

 Three suspects escaped from the bus, ASP Peters said. However, yesterday afternoon police said four men were later taken into custody in connection with the drug find.

 Police found 100 sacks of marijuana that weighed 3,053 pounds.

 The drugs have an estimated street value of $3,053,000.

 Asked if he thought this was part of a larger operation, ASP Peters said at the scene, “It is a possibility that it is part of a larger operation, meaning The Bahamas is not known to be a cultivation point, but a transit point. The players are not known at this time, however we are going to continue our investigations. . .”

 An investigation is continuing.