Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has asked Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles to launch an investigation into allegations made in a US criminal complaint that a Bahamian politician is involved in drug trafficking.
Pintard, along with members of the opposition, including St. Anne’s MP Adrian White, Killarney MP Michela Barnett-Ellis and East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, delivered a letter for Knowles and a copy of the criminal complaint to a senior officer at Police Headquarters yesterday sometime after 7:30 p.m.
“I write in my capacity as leader of the opposition to formally request an urgent and comprehensive investigation into serious allegations contained in a sworn complaint filed in the United States District for the Southern District of New York,” Pintard wrote in the letter to Knowles.
He asked the commissioner to initiate a full investigation into any individual identified or reasonably identifiable as “Politician 1” and determine if any elected official “has engaged in or facilitated narcotics trafficking”.
As has been widely reported, the complaint, which was unsealed last month, alleges that a Bahamian politician met with a drug dealer and a confidential source for US law enforcement in Parliament in 2024 to discuss a possible drug deal.
In a sworn affidavit, Michael Coleman, a special agent with the DEA, claimed that Jonathan Eric Gardiner, a Bahamian man who was one of the 11 passengers on a plane that crashed in waters off Florida on election day on May 12, 2026, was allegedly moving tons of cocaine through The Bahamas, with the protection of Bahamian government officials and high-ranking politicians.
In particular, the complaint referred to a specific politician whose name was redacted and who was labeled “Politician-1”.
Pintard has asked the commissioner to investigate all government contracts, concessions and financial dealings with Top Notch Builders, a construction company.
“We note that information in the public domain indicates that Top Notch was the contractor responsible for the construction of the Obadiah Wilchcombe Complex in Grand Bahama and the Renaissance at Carmichael housing development in New Providence,” Pintard said.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations and their potential implications for national security, international reputation, and public confidence in governance, it is essential that this matter be addressed with urgency, independence and full transparency.
“The public must be assured that no individual — regardless of position — is above the law, and that all allegations of criminal conduct touching public office are investigated thoroughly and impartially.”
Gardiner previously served as president of Top Notch Builders, which signed a contract with the Christie administration in 2017 for the construction of the Eight Mile Rock administrative complex on Grand Bahama.
The Tribune reported that Complete Construction, which is majority owned by Top Notch, was awarded government contracts to build homes in the government’s new subdivision on Carmichael Road under the Davis administration.
Serious
When the US criminal complaint first became public, the government issued a statement on May 19 and said it was taking the matter “extremely seriously”.
“The government of The Bahamas will reach out to the relevant US authorities to seek the sharing of information, obtain any available evidence, and establish the facts through the proper law enforcement channels,” the Office of the Prime Minister said.
“Local law enforcement authorities will also commence their own inquiries.
“To date, the government has received no official information identifying any public official in relation to this matter.”
Since that statement, there has been no confirmation or announcement of a local investigation into the claims.
After attempting for a third day to table the US criminal complaint in Parliament yesterday morning, Pintard promised House Speaker Patricia Deveaux that he intended to write to the commissioner of police.
“[I’m] filing that complaint with the police, copying the minister of national security and the attorney general that an allegation has been made that besmirches our reputation in this House,” Pintard said in the House of Assembly yesterday morning.
“It requires immediate action and investigation and we are hoping and praying and will bring pressure to make sure that that action is taken.”
Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, who is also chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), has vehemently expressed his view that the matter does not belong in Parliament, claiming it is prejudicial and labeling the criminal complaint “an untested document which is floating around from a foreign source”.
Deveaux has also blocked the opposition’s attempts to table the complaint.
She said yesterday that she is trying to protect Parliament.
“Bring the specifics, the date, the time, the name, the photos, the evidence, the facts, and then we could proceed, but without that, we have what we call a mere allegation,” the speaker said.
“I cannot besmirch the name of these hallowed halls and this country because of an allegation that is, now, just unfounded until it’s proven. And I will not sit here and allow that to happen. I am protecting this institution of which I am in charge of.
“If we don’t be careful, we’re going to be in a place where, when we travel — and that’s what we want for our children and our grandchildren — they’re going to be shaken down as soon as we land, and Bahamians live all over the world.”
