Trini in $200M drug bust

The Trinidadian was identified as Frank Dexter. The other two were John Hanson, 60, and Blake Bacher, 29, both of North Vancouver, Canada. After their arrest, the three suspects and the 1,500 kilos of cocaine were taken to the French island of Martinique where they await trial under French law.

The three persons were sailing aboard a 65-foot sailboat, Cantamar IV, when it was boarded by officers from a French frigate. The cargo of 1,500 kilogrammes of cocaine was uncovered, and the vessel’s captain and crew were arrested for smuggling.

The officers found the boat packed with nearly $200 million worth of cocaine in one-kilogramme packages strewn about the boat, Martinique officials reported. "When you’ve got that much cocaine in a small area, there are not many places you can hide it," one policeman said. Acting on a tip from a Royal Caribbean Mounted Police (RCMP) investigation in Vancouver that was forwarded through the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to French authorities, the frigate took the men and cocaine to the nearby French colony of Martinique.

Under French law, the three suspects could face life in prison if convicted. Police said they waited to announce the arrests because the investigation had not yet been wrapped up.

The Cantamar IV is registered in Vancouver, Canada, under the names of Hanson and Becher, but neither lives at the address under which it was registered.

The sailboat was making the lengthy journey from Venezuela to Spain, and police suspect it was part of a larger international drug-smuggling ring.

A seizure of this size would make a serious dent in the supply of cocaine at its destination, a police spokesman said.

But he refused to give details about the investigation in Canada, saying police are still working on the case.

On August 16, French authorities seized 3,000 kilogrammes of cocaine from a Venezuelan boat acting on a tip from the United States Navy.

Venezuela often serves as a corridor for Colombian drugs, mostly cocaine, destined for the United States and Europe.

Then, on August 23, Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and police raided a house at Monos Island, and seized 1,749 kilos of cocaine valued at $700 million. Investigators also seized several high-powered weapons and arrested five Venezuelans, two Trinidadians and an Antiguan.

All eight are still in custody having been refused bail.