By Rachel Scott Guardian Staff Reporter
Copyright thenassauguardian
The Bahamas has once again been included on the United States’ list of major illicit drug transit or producing countries for the fiscal year 2026.
The list in the Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries includes Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
“A country’s presence on the foregoing list is not necessarily a reflection of its government’s counterdrug efforts or level of cooperation with the United States,” the presidential determination said.
The Bahamas has regularly been included on these annual lists, and the declaration noted that the rationale behind determining which countries are included involves a combination of “geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs or precursor chemicals to be transited or produced, even if a government has engaged in robust and diligent narcotics control and law enforcement measures”.
The document listed Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, and Venezuela as countries that have “failed demonstrably” during the past year to adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements and to take the measures required by section 489(a)(1) of the FAA.
The presidential determination said the US is dealing with a “national emergency” because of the trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly illicit drugs into the country.
“More than 40 percent of Americans know someone who has died from an opioid overdose, and in 2024 the United States averaged over 200 deaths daily due to illicit drugs,” it said.
“This remains unacceptable, and my administration is deploying every aspect of American power and unprecedented resources to defeat this threat to our nation.”
US President Donald Trump said he has taken action to secure US borders “using the full range of law enforcement and military resources necessary to safeguard our nation’s security and sovereignty”.
“For the first time in four years, our border is no longer an open sieve for drug terrorist cartels, human traffickers, and all others who would do our country harm,” he said.
“American lives are being saved, with overdose deaths finally starting to recede significantly for the first time in over a decade.
“I have also marshalled the United States economic strength to compel greater cooperation from our North American neighbors to confront the drug threat and do their part.”
The declaration came weeks after Trump deployed US Navy warships in the Caribbean, striking and destroying an alleged Venezuelan drug boat within days.
Trump last week said that since then, two additional Venezuelan boats, which he claims were carrying drugs, were also destroyed.
It remains unclear what evidence the US has that the boats were carrying drugs, though Trump insists his government has proof.
In the determination yesterday, the Trump said, “While the United States will devote all necessary resources to punish criminals enabling the production, transportation, and smuggling of illicit drugs across our borders, I will also call on countries where these drugs originate and transit to fulfill their obligations and shut off these supplies – or face serious consequences.”
Last week, during his confirmation hearing in the US Senate, Herschel Walker pointed to China’s influence and a growing drug smuggling problem in The Bahamas as key issues he would prioritize should he be confirmed as US ambassador to The Bahamas.
