The Prime Minister of the British Virgin Islands, Andrew A. Fahieand the director of ports of that territory, Oleanvine Maynard, were arrested this Thursday in Miami, Florida (USA), for alleged “cocaine smuggling and money laundering,” reported the governor of the Caribbean archipelago, John Rankin.
“It is my duty as Governor to report that this morning the Honorable Premier Fahie was arrested in Miami on charges related to conspiracy to import controlled substance and money laundering,” Rankin said in a statement.
The United States Government informed the United Kingdom of this arrest “as part of the normal process followed when a British citizen is arrested abroad,” the governor added.
Fahie and Maynard, who according to the Miami Herald newspaper were in South Florida participating in the Seatrade Cruise Global, the main world event for the cruise industry, were detained at the Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport by federal agents undercover
Senior officials of British Virgin Islands they were arrested after meeting with undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents posing as Mexican cocaine traffickers.
Both went to the airport this Thursday morning to see an alleged shipment of $700,000 on a plane that they believed was destined for the British Virgin Islandsauthorities told the Miami Herald.
The agents posed as members of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.
Fahie and Maynard are accused of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and money laundering and are due to appear in a Miami court this Friday afternoon along with another detainee, the newspaper reported.
This is Kadeem Maynard, who was also arrested today in connection with the case, but not in Miami, authorities told the same outlet.
As this is an ongoing US investigation, Rankin said he has no further information about the arrest and cannot comment further.
However, Rankin confirmed that the arrest was the result of “a US operation led by the DEA.”