In an unprecedented move, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock has declared a formal amnesty program for citizens who discover and surrender cocaine found floating in maritime territories. This policy response comes directly after controversial US military operations within the nation’s exclusive economic zone in mid-February, which resulted in significant quantities of narcotics washing ashore.
The amnesty initiative, modeled after previous gun surrender programs, guarantees immunity from prosecution for drug possession and trafficking charges to individuals who voluntarily turn over found cocaine to law enforcement authorities. Minister Leacock announced this policy during a broadcast on the ruling New Democratic Party’s radio program, framing it as both a practical crime prevention measure and an extension of his long-standing advocacy for ‘second-chance society’ principles.
The development follows at least two criminal cases against fishermen allegedly found with substantial quantities of cocaine recovered from waters where US Southern Command conducted ‘narco-terrorist’ strikes on February 13 and 16. While the US military confirmed two lethal operations against drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean region, it notably omitted specific location details—a point of diplomatic contention highlighted by Leacock, who emphasized that Washington failed to properly notify Kingstown about military actions within its jurisdiction.
Legal representative Grant Connell, who is defending affected fishermen, previously characterized the phenomenon as a ‘sea lotto’ with potentially deadly consequences, noting that encounters with either criminal elements or law enforcement could result in grave outcomes for finders. The government’s approach aims to mitigate street violence and turf wars that might emerge from competing claims to the recovered narcotics, while encouraging cooperation with authorities through guaranteed protection from prosecution.