British Virgin Islands’ Leader Arrested on Drug Trafficking Charges

Premier Andrew Fahie, the elected leader of the British Virgin Islands, was arrested Thursday in Miami on charges of conspiring to import cocaine and money laundering after a successful sting operation led by the DEA.

🏝️ Some quick context: The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are a British overseas territory made up of more than 40 islands; it’s home to more than 35,000 people and 370,000 companies. It operates as a parliamentary democracy, with the premier acting as the head of the elected government alongside the governor, who is appointed by the UK government and represents the Queen.

❄️🚢 Back to the story… Court papers show DEA officials posed as members of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel (the one formerly run by El Chapo) and struck a $700k+ deal with Fahie to store cocaine hidden inside paint buckets at ports around the territory before sending it on to be sold in the US.

• Top port official Oleanvine Maynard and her son, Kadeem Maynard, were also arrested in the sting operation.

📸 Big picture: The BVI government was already under investigation by the British government for organized crime, corruption, misuse of public funds, and cronyism. In 2021, the UK formed a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of misgovernance; the investigation came to an end earlier this month.

📝 So, what’s next?... The resulting report from the inquiry recommended a partial dissolution of the territory’s government for two years. A quote: “Almost everywhere, the principles of good governance, such as openness, transparency and even the rule of law, are ignored… The relevant elected officials are well aware of this chronic lack of governance.”

• Over the weekend, a UK delegation traveled to the territory to hold discussions with high-ranking BVI officials.