Comments on: HMS Argyll Seizes $15 Million In Cocaine

By: Keepin' it Real!...4Real!

Keepin' it Real!...4Real! — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 23:47:21 +0000

don’t worry ya’ll…its safely in the rightful owners hands now.

By: Raw Connoisseur

Raw Connoisseur — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 13:21:38 +0000

People like you live in this disbelief that if cannabis is legal its going to a free for all & everybody will use it. In countries such as Netherlands, Portugal & Uruguay where cannabis is tolerated & also legal less teenagers use it. In Colorado they have had a historic low number of road fatalities. Its been since 1937 Wwhen Harry J. Anslinger outlawed cannabis for racial reasons & in 1971 when Nixon launched the “War on Drugs” even when he had reports that said cannabis was much safer then alcohol. From then to now all drugs have be more available & cannabis has become a lot better a& drug dealers keep getting richer. You go in any middle or high school & will find cannabis. Its easier to get cannabis then alcohol because cannabis isn’t regulate like alcohol. You should really do some research before you make stupid statements like that. WAKE UP AND STOP LIVING IN FEAR!!

By: Islander

Islander — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:23:58 +0000

Lol. Lot’s of parties gonna be ruined.

By: Chumba Womba

Chumba Womba — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:00:41 +0000

The rest of the world has legalized it? I know Colorodao has legalized it, and a few other states have for “medicinal” use but most places have decriminalized it not legalized it.

By: Chumba Womba

Chumba Womba — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:57:24 +0000

Something tells me if this government decided to invest hundreds of millions to purchase the types of ships, helicopters and weapons required to patrol waters 150 + miles offshore and staff them you would be the first Kunta to complain.

What do propose Kunta? A fleet of four single engine, 25′ boston whalers with two regiment officers each, flashlights and billy sticks?

By: Chumba Womba

Chumba Womba — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:51:42 +0000

I say set these guys free and seize the yacht and destroy the cocaine. The punishment they will receive from the dealers with be far worse .

By: Sad

Sad — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:31:12 +0000

Was that your shipment they confiscated?

At least this dangerous drug is being dealt with by the proper authorities as opposed to the drug peddlers who profit off of destroying lives.

By: Duane P Santucci

Duane P Santucci — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 20:35:55 +0000

@ Bermy If you truly believe that this volume of drugs does not enter our ports on a regular basis, on crafts like this, then you are a bigger joker then you sound, and I take my hat’s off to the authorities that have seized this crap. so in the mean time you are entitled to your opinion but I say stay in your lane because you don’t have a damn clue, The drug trade in Bermuda presently nets more profit then our whole tourism industry, you do the math bright one. International business is first, drugs second and tourism last.

By: Kunta

Kunta — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:59:07 +0000

And most junkies in Bermuda are on Heroin.

By: Kunta

Kunta — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:56:54 +0000

An Island surrounded by water, no Navy = PATHETIC.

By: Stu

Stu — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:34:15 +0000

It’s easy to get it now mate. Legalising it just makes it safer to get.

By: do ya homework

do ya homework — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:07:05 +0000

Remember alcohol was illegal. I dont see cocaine being legalised

By: do ya homework

do ya homework — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:05:34 +0000

The only bad thing about cannabis is that its illegal. Why dont people go on google type cannabis facts and do their homework before they punish their children for choosing buds over yeast

By: C

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:39:32 +0000

For sure. They can get right in their schools.

By: Brigadooner

Brigadooner — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:33:48 +0000

Don’t worry sswhite there will be another shipment soon enough for you.

By: damn....

damn.... — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:25:09 +0000

Well…there goes the Christmas party…guess ill just have to stick to boozing heavily and putting money back in the bars pockets.

By: Me

Me — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:23:02 +0000

As ‘Bermy’ says, Bermuda’s territorial waters extend out only 12 miles. I’m not sure, but I believe the rights to search are granted by the country that the vessel in question is registered to. Technically, one can consider a vessel to be the territory of it’s country of registration, so that country has to give permission. in practice, there are standing agreements between several nations whereby enforcement vessels belonging to certain nations have pre-consent to search those registered in others. There have however been instances where vessels belonging to certain nations have been considered ‘suspect’, the enforcement body has had to ‘request permission’ from the occupants to board, that permission has been denied and the enforcement body has been forced not to board. In one example i can think of all they could do was to track the suspect boat, inform both the flag nation and the destination nation (which was pretty obvious – it was here) of their suspicions and hand the situation over to Bermuda. Lo and behold, the boat was full of drugs. BDA radio, customs and the police force followed it, allowed the drugs to be offloaded and then arrested both the importers and the locals who came to do the pickup. It was a pretty successful operation if i remember correctly, only a couple of years ago.

By: Me

Me — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:09:52 +0000

No, the article says they were 150 miles South of Bermuda, which puts them inside Bermuda’s exclusive economic zone but well into international waters. I’m not sure who they will be tried by…….. but probably not us. And a good thing too in my opinion – our ‘justice’ system is overloaded as it is and the prison is far too nice!

By: Bermy

Bermy — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:09:24 +0000

Your are dillusional if you think you children do not have easy access to cannabis now!

By: Bermy

Bermy — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:07:36 +0000

Bermuda territorial waters I believe only extend 12 miles, the exclusive economic zone is I think 200 miles.

By: Bermy

Bermy — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:06:16 +0000

This vessel was clearly not heading to Bermuda with the intent to drop it’s load here, far to much weight on board for our small island. Was likely under surveillance while leaving the Caribbean/ South America and the skipper was likely very surprised to “run into” a UK warship so far out into the ocean.

By: $99.00 dollars per night

$99.00 dollars per night — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:56:02 +0000

Maybe they were tipped off on this yacht coming to Bermuda in the first place with narcotics. So therefore that’s why they were probably cut off during the interview. It seems they were given info on this particular vessel so therefore timed their journey perfectly with the yacht, ever thought of that ??????

By: Harry

Harry — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:18:29 +0000

Thank you Higher Echelon, but I’ll stick with the current laws. I don’t want my kids having easy access to cannabis. We all know in many cases you start with this, and move through the gears.

By: PBanks

PBanks — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:13:12 +0000

What are the answers, sswhite?

By: Duane P Santucci

Duane P Santucci — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:03:55 +0000

Bernews can you please keep a follow up on this particular story, and I for one would be very interested if the owners of this vessel….and then was those who were on board

Hopefully when the full facts are released we will be better informed openly across the board who really runs the drug trade in this Island, I have said for years, that the jokers we see at west gate is just fall guys for the real culprits who destroy the fabric of our society by the greed that they have, so many go under for the likes of others who never get touched.

By: Micro

Micro — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:48:56 +0000

There are rules to the open ocean/international waters.

It’s legal to carry out a search without a warrant if there is reasonable suspicion of illegal activity. Much like stop and search practices on land or the ability for officers to enter a premise.

People like to say the police don’t do enough but then complain when they stop them to ask you some questions or are inconvenienced by them doing their jobs.

By: Micro

Micro — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:37:25 +0000

Only if used for tea and baking!! Smoking is bad for your health.

By: Micro

Micro — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:36:07 +0000

It’s one of the voids which the Bermuda Regiment should be filling; they are charged with national security after all. Patrolling our waters and conducting such searches on suspect vessels, for drugs and weapons.

By: flikel

flikel — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:13:37 +0000

I find operations like this interesting.

150 miles South of Bermuda leads me to believe that this yacht was caught in Bermuda’s waters. In which case, does the Argyll need ‘permission’ from Bermuda to conduct such operations in Bermuda’s waters? Likewise, a police officer from the UK cannot come to Bermuda and have the power to arrest people without the permission of the Bermuda Police or the Governor.

Can such operations be carried out in International waters? Drug laws vary from country to country and what is legal in some, may be illegal in others.

By: sswhite

sswhite — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:56:10 +0000

A suspect yacht? On the ocean? You don’t say…

I am not as delusional as some to believe that these drugs won’t eventually find their way into some ivy league students nostrils or converted to crack for some street hoodlum to smoke but the real question to me is what the hell gives these jack-holes the right to board vessels in this manner on open water?

Where are peoples individual rights? I would like the reporter of this story to ask “What exactly made this yacht suspect? Further what legislation allows for the searching of private property without a warrant?”

I actually know the disgusting answer to these questions – am just waiting to be amused by the responses to my comment….

By: X

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:29:56 +0000

When the commander was interviewed while in Bermuda, I noticed that when he mentioned they are also involved in counter narcotics, he was abruptly cut off by the editor …! Perhaps they didn’t want to give to much info. Congrats tho, it is the scourge of our society.

By: Raymond Ray

Raymond Ray — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:05:12 +0000

WOW! Job well done by all who’d been involved in this seizure…

By: HIGHER ECHELON

HIGHER ECHELON — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:43:39 +0000

and by the way, $200/gram minimum price for coke means that the true value of the shipment in bermuda would have been almost THREE times what is quoted here:

200 X 28 X 16 X 440 = $39,424,000

cannabis prices are almost reaching cocaine prices in bermuda, they should follow suit with the rest of the world and legalize cannabis!!!!!!! for medicinal reasons and cancer-killing reasons, alone!

By: HIGHER ECHELON

HIGHER ECHELON — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:41:41 +0000

that much weight proves it was NOT meant for Bermuda, that would be excessive and no kingpin/dealer would import/export way too much product as it involves too much risk. Most likely headed for another larger nation.

By: smitty

smitty — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:41:28 +0000

Excellent job to the captain and crew of this vessel. I’ve said it before,Bermuda needs a costal patrol to monitor the activity in and around the island of Bermuda. Again,wonderful job!!!

By: Lois Frederick

Lois Frederick — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:39:03 +0000

Does that mean they were caught in Bermuda waters? Will they be brought here for trial? I would think a patrol of the waters between the Bahamas and Bermuda by HMS Argyll would be a good idea as part of their itinerary. They might catch a few more.