The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ANOTHER arrest has been made in the fallout from the mass looting of a container barge that ran aground off Abaco last month, as police continue to track goods believed to have been taken from the stranded vessel.

Chief Superintendent Michael Thurston said an adult male from Blackwood, Abaco, was arrested on December 12 after officers recovered six tyres suspected to have been stolen from the Brooklyn Bridge barge.

The arrest comes as part of an investigation sparked by the grounding of the barge after its tow line snapped in severe weather, leaving it stranded on a reef near Nunjack Cay, North Abaco and exposing much of its cargo.

The incident quickly drew national attention after widespread looting was reported. Trailer Bridge, the US-based operator of the barge, later said an estimated 90 percent of the containers were compromised following the grounding.

The company also criticised what it described as a slow police response and rejected claims circulating at the time that residents were invited aboard the vessel to assist or to “lighten the load,” calling those assertions “entirely false.”

Police launched an investigation into the incident and established a special task force, which has already led to multiple charges.

Last month, Darren Lightbourne, Ferail McIntosh and Mossell Smith appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans after police alleged they played roles in the looting. Lightbourne and McIntosh are accused of stealing items from the grounded barge, while Smith is accused of receiving stolen goods.

All three men have denied the allegations. They were granted bail — $30,000 each for Lightbourne and McIntosh, and $7,000 for Smith — and ordered to sign in at their nearest police station once a week.

Police have not said whether further arrests are expected as the investigation continues.