Offices and 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, international 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 over $14 million in funding for Bahamian counterdrug efforts since 1987.  The Narcotics Affairs Section has also funded counterdrug efforts in 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

• Computer upgrades to the Royal Bahamas Police Force Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU).
• Provide maintenance contracts and trailers for the DEU Marine Unit's Fast Boats that provide an "end-game" to OPBAT helicopter pursuits of cocaine smuggling "go-fast" boats that transit The Bahamas en route to the United States.
• IONSCAN for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force's (RBDF) Rapid Response Team.  This allows the Rapid Response Team to search suspected vessels for hidden compartments containing drugs and illegal aliens. 

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.  For more information see the INCSR website.