The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the country, in partnership with OBPAT, is looking at establishing a new Transnational Crime Intelligence Unit (TCIU) in New Providence as authorities move to strengthen regional security and address evolving criminal threats.

“We're looking at perhaps sending a Defense Force officer to be embedded in what they call Jada south, which is Southern Command, which is for the Caribbean and Central and South America, and Intelligence Fusion Center there,” he added.

His comments came after attending the Fourth Northern Caribbean Security Summit in Turks and Caicos Islands, where Heads of Delegation from OPBAT member states met to discuss regional security cooperation.

In a statement, OPBAT members acknowledged that security threats have evolved and grown increasingly complex, exploiting jurisdictional gaps, technological weaknesses, and geographic vulnerabilities.

They committed to strengthening air and maritime domain awareness through enhanced information-sharing to support timely and effective decision-making.

“We recognise that collective security is essential to national resilience and regional stability, and commit to continuous dialogue on ways that Member States can leverage available resources,” the statement read.

According to Mr Munroe, issues ranging from migrant smuggling to instability in Haiti dominated discussions at the summit.

He said officials welcomed the passage of the Migrant Smuggling Bill, describing it as one of the first tools to address individuals involved in human smuggling

Concerning Haiti, he said discussions focused on how the region can actively participate in efforts to maintain stability in the country.

Asked about The Bahamas’ partnership with OPBAT, Mr Munroe said corruption allegations involving senior officers have not affected the collaboration.

Mr Munroe had previously expressed concern over the issue after a US federal indictment accused members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) of providing critical assistance to drug traffickers smuggling tons of cocaine from South America through The Bahamas to the US.

Prosecutors claim that corrupt officials received millions in bribes, used their positions to support the drug trade, obstruct DEA operations, and protect traffickers from arrest with intelligence from such partnerships as OBPAT (Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Island).

Yesterday, Mr Munroe maintained that the country’s relationship with OPBAT remains intact.

He noted that US authorities are aware of the measures taken domestically, citing the prosecution of Inspector Sonny Miller as an example of accountability.

“They may share intelligence, but they do not tell you where their assets are located,” he said, referring to International agencies. “Just like we don't tell them where our assets are located understood, because we realise they have some people who may transgress in their law enforcement and they think that we might.”

“You have stuff like the captains of the vessels, the commanding officers of the platform don't know where they're patrolling until they're at sea. You build in methods to protect against bad actors.”