The United States donated nearly $900,000 worth of equipment to the Bahamas Ministry of National Security on February 23, 2026, to help combat drug trafficking in The Bahamas and the region. The assets include a drug incinerator, six boat lifts and two handheld scanners to detect illegal narcotics.
Bahamas Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said the equipment will significantly improve the nation’s ability to track down and destroy illegal drugs in Bahamian waters. “For the traffickers who think they can exploit our geography, please be warned that we’re building a furnace for your enterprise, and this incinerator is only the pilot light,” Munroe said during the commissioning ceremony at the Royal Bahamas Police Force Headquarters in Nassau, The Nassau Guardian newspaper reported.
U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Herschel Walker said the boat lifts, worth about $500,000, will be used in various locations to move interceptor SAFE boats. SAFE stands for Secure All-around Flotation Equipped. The incinerator will shrink the backlog of seized drugs stored at Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) facilities, Walker said. The scanners already are helping the RBDF detect illegal drugs, he said, noting an October 2025 operation in which the scanners helped find 233 kilograms of cocaine sealed inside an air conditioning unit, The Nassau Guardian reported.
Walker said February’s donation is another sign of the U.S. commitment to The Bahamas in their mutual fight against transnational criminal organizations. “Today marks another milestone in the strong law enforcement partnership between the United States and The Bahamas, a partnership built on shared commitment to combating transnational crime and protecting our citizens,” Walker said, according to The Nassau Guardian.
“The Bahamas and the United States share more than just geography and friendship. We share common security challenges,” Walker said. “Drug trafficking organizations exploit our proximity and our waters. They threaten the safety of our communities, fuel violence, and undermine the rule of law that our society depends on. These criminals are sophisticated, well-funded, relentless. Defeating them requires equal sophistication, tools, strong partnership and unwavering commitment.”
Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Shanta Knowles thanked the U.S., saying the incinerator will ensure “that these harmful substances are permanently removed from circulation. This capability reinforces public confidence.”
“It strengthens evidentiary integrity and supports our broader antinarcotic strategy,” Knowles said. “Equally important is the completion of its SAFE boat ramps and lifts, which improves our maritime development readiness across our expansive archipelago, allowing our officers to respond swiftly and efficiently in safeguarding our territorial waters.”
Munroe welcomed the timing of the equipment and emphasized how it will be strategically used throughout the commonwealth. “This contribution today is about sustainability and readiness. This is about ensuring that every dollar invested in our maritime capabilities delivers a maximum return in our operational performances,” he said.
“Every nation has the right and duty to control its borders and protect its citizens, and these assets strengthen our ability to exercise that sovereign right,” Munroe said. “The boat lifts expand the operational life of our fleet, the incinerator ensures that seized drugs are destroyed on Bahamian soil under professional supervision, and the scanners empower Bahamian officers to make determination about what enters our ports. This is all about capacity building.”