By IANTHIA SMITH, Guardian Staff Reporter

ianthia@nasguard.com

The Bahamas might lose out in its fight against the drug trade as The United States proposes to pull its Army resources out of the 20-year counter-drug programme.

Permanent Secretary in The Ministry of National Security Mark Wilson confirmed last night that the US has threatened to remove its helicopters from Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), which is accredited for helping to drive cocaine and marijuana smugglers away from The Bahamas and easy access to Florida's coast.

United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is strongly pushing for the US Army to pull out of the programme, raising questions regarding the over two decades-long effort that has resulted in hundreds of arrests and the seizure of tons of cocaine and marijuana. The Herald added that in a May 15 letter to US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Rumsfeld said it was time to shift the military assets elsewhere. "The Bahamas counter-drug programme now competes with resources necessary for the war on terrorism and other activities in support of our nation's defence, with potential adverse effects on the military preparedness of The United States."

Mr Wilson added that both the Ministries of National Security and Foreign Affairs, as well as The United States Embassy in The Bahamas have since protested the move. But according to Mr Wilson, should the US take away the Army's seven Blackhawk helicopters and their crews, "there's nothing The Bahamas could do."

"If The United States in the end decides to remove its assets from The Bahamas there is nothing we can do," he said. "We can only make representation. This means that we will lose resources that go into fighting the war on drugs."

Mr Rumsfeld's letter was prompted by claims that the US Defense Department is increasingly stretched thin by ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and multiple commitments around the globe. When the programme began in 1982, up to 90 per cent of the cocaine smuggled into the US from Latin America came into Florida through The Bahamas and the Caribbean. But most of the cocaine now moves across the US south-western border, in part because of the pressure on traffickers operating off Florida's coasts.

But The US Defense Secretary is calling on his government to help identify "a more appropriate agency" to provide the air support. According to the Herald, Rumsfeld said he wants to complete the military pullout from the programme by October 1, 2007.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is another key player in the programme, but has only one helicopter in The Bahamas. The Coast Guard currently has three Jayhawk helicopters assigned to the project, but according to the Herald, DEA officials say those combined assets would be insufficient to provide quick response along the vast 700-island Bahamas chain.

The report added that discussions were underway regarding which agency might assume the military's role in The Bahamas.

According to DEA statistics issued in April, since 2000, the programme has resulted in seizures of more than 25 tons of cocaine, 82 tons of marijuana and the arrests of 786 people. The Army and Coast Guard helicopters operate from three bases in the Bahamas, coordinating with Bahamian police vessels and DEA agents to interdict drug shipments.

The program also plays a role in identifying and stopping human smugglers, particularly those from Haiti that are often caught on old, overcrowded vessels.