Curacao Coast Guard Members Face Drug Charges

On November 25, four current and former members of the Dutch Carribean Coast Guard (DCCG) on the island of Curacao were arrested on corruption and drug charges. Their arraignment is scheduled for this Friday.

Norman Serphos, spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Curacao, said that the service members are suspected of involvement in narcotics trafficking. In raids on a dozen homes across the island, authorities found significant caches of money, one weapon, and a small amount of the drug Ecstasy. Authorities did not name the suspects.

Three civilians were also arrested in the raids.

DCCG officials indicated earlier in the year that they suspected that insiders were leaking information to a smuggling ring. In May, they began an investigation, known internally as “Operation Baywatch,” to identify and prosecute the culprits.

The investigation was a joint effort of local and national police authorities, including the Dutch National Police and the Royal Military Police.

Curacao is formally administered by the Netherlands; it has local self-governance but its defense and foreign affairs are conducted by the Dutch. The DCCG is commanded by the head of the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean. DCCG forces patrol the seas around the former Netherlands Antilles islands of Curacao, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.