Departments

Narcotics Affairs Section

The NAS administers bilateral counternarcotics and anti-crime agreements with The Bahamas and with the Turks and Caicos Islands and advises the Ambassador on counternarcotics, anti-money laundering, in ternational crime, and rule of law issues. The NAS derives its authority from the Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The U.S. has provided funding for Bahamian counterdrug efforts continuously si nce 1987 and to the Turks and Caicos Islands since 1991.

Demand Reduction:

The NAS provides support for the National Drug Council, the Drug Action Service, the Bahamas Association for Social Health, and the University of the West Indies - College of The Bahamas Addiction Studies Program.

Bilateral Cooperative Efforts: The NAS provides equipment, training, and technical assistance to the Drug Enforcement Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), the RBPF Forensic Laboratory, the Police College, the Joint Information Coordination Center (JICC), and the RBPF Drug Ca nine Unit, as well as to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Bahamian Customs, and the Bahamian court system The NAS also provides support to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police (RTCIP) and TCI Customs.

Regional Cooperative Efforts: The NAS funds maintenance, repair and replacement of housing and equipment for the base facilities of Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos, a three-nation joint counternarcotics interdiction effort involving the RBPF, the RTCIP, the DEA, the U.S. Coast Guar d, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Customs Service.

Current Projects:

• Fast Response Boats - In February NAS donated a specially designed 12-meter patrol boat to the RBPF. It is intended to provide an "end-game" to OPBAT helicopter pursuits of cocaine smuggling "go-fast" boats that transit the Bahamas en route to th e U.S. It is only the first of several that the NAS will procure for The Bahamas.
• Financial Intelligence Unit - The NAS will provide support to The Bahamas' newly established Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The FIU is an autonomous body under the Minister of Finance created to prevent the exploitation of the Bahamas financial s ector by money launderers and other financial criminals.

INCSR:

The annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) issued by INL contains detailed sections on The Bahamas and the Caribbean Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom, including the Turks and Caicos Islands. One may access the INCSR at http://www.state.gov/g/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2000/889.htm.