BASSETERRE, St Kitts – THE Police Force has confirmed that nationals from three Caribbean territories have been taken into custody following a drug bust aboard a vessel that appears to have a history of similar incidents.
In a statement published on its website on August 12, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force said that, in collaboration with the St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard and the St. Kitts and Nevis Customs and Excise Department, it seized a quantity of suspected narcotics aboard a vessel that arrived in St. Kitts on August 10, 2026.
According to police, the vessel, C-Elizabeth II, docked in St. Kitts at approximately 9:00 a.m., where it was subjected to a joint search involving members of the Coast Guard, Customs and Excise Department, including its K9 Unit, and the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the RSCNPF.
During the search, officers discovered a quantity of vegetable material which was later confirmed to be cannabis, weighing 12.515 pounds, along with a white powdered substance later confirmed to be cocaine, weighing one kilogramme.
The captain and six crew members were taken into custody to assist with the ongoing investigation. Police said the crew members are nationals of Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
In 2022, the MV Elizabeth C which was registered in Trinidad and Tobago under International Maritime Organization number 8894574, was intercepted in St. Kitts and Nevis after authorities discovered large quantities of suspected cocaine and cannabis aboard.
Police reported at the time that several bales of a white substance suspected to be cocaine, along with compressed vegetable material suspected to be Cannabis Sativa, were found concealed within the walls of the vessel's cabin.
Five male crew members were aboard the vessel at the time. Three were nationals of Trinidad and Tobago, while the other two were from Grenada and Carriacou. They were taken into police custody and assisted the Narcotics Unit with its investigation.
An initial count found 32 bales, each containing 25-kilogramme blocks, for a total of approximately 800 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine. Authorities also recovered 16 transparent vacuum-sealed bags containing approximately 5.830 kilogrammes, or 12.852 pounds, of suspected Cannabis Sativa.
The suspected cocaine was estimated to have a street value of approximately US$26.4 million, or EC$71.28 million, while the cannabis was valued at approximately US$57,777, or EC$156,000.
With the latest seizure involving a vessel with a similar name and a crew drawn from some of the same regional territories, questions are likely to emerge about the vessel's ownership, registration and previous movements, as authorities continue their investigation.
This latest bust once again raises the discussion on whther the Federation is a transhipment port for drugs.
