BVI’s Premier arrested in US for alleged cocaine trafficking, money laundering

Last Updated on Thursday, 28 April 2022, 18:23 by Denis Chabrol

The premier of the British Virgin Islands and the director of the small Caribbean territory’s ports were arrested Thursday at a Miami-area airport by federal agents on charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and money laundering.

Premier Andrew Fahie  and manager director of the port authority, Oleanvine Maynard  were taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration agents at Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport. 

The Miami Herald reports that foreign officials were arrested after they met with undercover DEA agents posing as cocaine traffickers to check out an alleged shipment of $700,000 in cash on an aeroplane that they believed was destined for the British Virgin Islands, 

The DEA agents were posing as members of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. 

Both government officials, who were in Miami for a cruise convention, went to the airport Thursday morning to see the alleged load of cash.

This,  after DEA agents told them that the money was a payoff for allowing the cartel’s future cocaine loads to be transported through British territory to the United States,

The British territory, an archipelago, has a population of only 30,000 and is adjacent to the U.S. Virgin Islands