The Tribune

The Office of the Prime Minister said yesterday the government is taking allegations stemming from a reported US investigation “extremely seriously” and will seek information from American authorities as local law enforcement agencies begin their own inquiries.

The Tribune exclusively reported from a US Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit tied to the arrest of convicted cocaine smuggler Jonathan “Player” Gardiner following last week’s plane crash off the Florida coast.

In its statement, the OPM said: “The Government of The Bahamas has seen the allegations arising from a U.S. investigation, as reported in the press, and takes this matter extremely seriously.”

It added that the government would “reach out to the relevant US authorities to seek the sharing of information, obtain any available evidence, and establish the facts through the proper law enforcement channels”.

The statement also said: “Local law enforcement authorities will also commence their own inquiries.”

The Tribune reported today that Gardiner was allegedly carrying $30,000 in Bahamian currency inside an envelope labelled with a handwritten name when he was rescued after the May 12 plane crash. US prosecutors redacted the name in court filings as "Politician-1".

The DEA affidavit also alleged that a politician identified only as “Politician-1” met in October 2024 with an undercover DEA source posing as a drug trafficker and a drug mule pilot inside a Bahamian Parliament building to discuss a cocaine shipment allegedly worth $30m.

The OPM statement stressed that no Bahamian public official has been formally identified to the government.

“To date, the Government has received no official information identifying any public official in relation to this matter,” the statement said.

It added: “The position of the Government of The Bahamas remains wherever wrongdoing is established, any person involved will be held accountable without fear or favour, and the chips will fall where they may.”