标签： Bahamas

For years, Charles “Silk” Dunn crafted a compelling public narrative: a former convict who spent 24 years behind bars for drug offenses, transformed into a celebrated motivational speaker, life coach, and author who inspired at-risk youth across Georgia. Endorsed by celebrity figures including rapper Master P and Emmy-nominated actor Anthony Anderson, Dunn portrayed his lavish $1.4 million eight-bedroom Atlanta-area home with a private pool as the just reward for a life redeemed, a divine blessing for enduring decades of incarceration. But federal prosecutors say this inspiring transformation is nothing more than an elaborate front, masking the continued operation of a multi-state drug trafficking ring that moved hundreds of kilograms of cocaine through The Bahamas, with ties to a high-ranking Bahamian politician and a former convict whose sentence was commuted by ex-President Barack Obama.

The 57-year-old Dunn, who was arrested two years ago at his Fayetteville, Georgia home located roughly 30 miles outside Atlanta, is accused of leading the Georgia-based Drug Trafficking Organisation at the center of a sprawling multi-year investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The case first gained public attention in mid-May 2024, after the arrest of Bahamian co-conspirator Jonathan “Player” Gardiner, who was rescued by U.S. military personnel from a downed plane off Florida’s coast. When authorities pulled Gardiner, 58, from the wreckage, they found he was carrying a bag holding $30,000 in Bahamian currency marked with the name of an unidentified senior Bahamian politician, referred to only as “Politician-1” in court documents. U.S. authorities have redacted the politician’s full identity to date.

In a May 15 affidavit from a DEA special agent, Dunn is named as the ringleader, identified previously only as unindicted co-conspirator “CC-1.” The document details allegations that the group discussed a $30 million narcotics shipment inside the Bahamian Parliament Building, a revelation that has sent shockwaves through Caribbean law enforcement and political circles. A further twist in the case came with the identification of a second key co-conspirator, “CC-2,” who is Ernest Mordeau Deas, also known as “Shorty.” Court records confirm Deas previously served a federal prison sentence for cocaine trafficking before his sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama. After his release, he was placed on supervised release, but prosecutors now allege he immediately returned to drug trafficking. Deas and Gardiner first became connected while both were incarcerated at the same Florida federal prison between 2007 and 2008, serving time for overlapping drug trafficking and money laundering convictions.

One of the most remarkable details of the investigation is how it was conducted: court documents confirm that the DEA operated undercover confidential sources on Bahamian territory for at least three years, doing so entirely without the knowledge or consent of the Bahamian government, national police, or defense force. This covert operation has sparked ongoing questions about international law enforcement cooperation and sovereign immunity between the two nations.

Dunn’s carefully constructed public image as a reformed changemaker remains the most striking element of the case. After being sentenced to 30 years in prison in his home state of Ohio in 1992 at just 23 years old for running a drug trafficking ring, Dunn was released after 24 years and immediately set out to rebrand himself. He marketed himself as a “prisoner to changemaker” life coach, appearing on local television programs and giving lectures to youth groups across the Southeast. He even published two works: a motivational memoir titled *I Will Not Be Denied: Mastering The Changes*, and the four-volume *Sandpaper to Silk* series, which earned public endorsements from Master P and Anthony Anderson. Master P promoted the series in a social media video on Dunn’s Instagram, while Anderson called it a forthcoming bestseller in a promotional clip.

In one widely viewed Instagram video, Dunn gave his followers a tour of his Fayetteville estate, framing his luxury lifestyle as a reward for perseverance. “After all the pain I went through, 25 years of suffering … I wake up living like this because the God I serve is saying he gives you double for your trouble,” he told viewers. “People got to go to resorts to see this. I see this every day. Have an attitude of gratitude. Go through your suffering with grace and you’ll be blessed to wake up like this for the rest of your life too.” A local news article reposted on Dunn’s Instagram even compared his 24-year prison term to that of Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid icon who spent 27 years in prison before leading his nation.

Prosecutors, however, argue every part of this narrative is a carefully constructed lie designed to cover up ongoing criminal activity. When law enforcement raided Dunn’s home in 2023, they uncovered a cache of assets and narcotics that far outstripped the income of a full-time motivational speaker. Seized items included three high-end luxury vehicles: a $250,000 Lamborghini, a $125,000 Cadillac Escalade, and a $140,000 2019 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT. Investigators also took possession of more than $90,000 worth of fine jewelry, including two Rolex watches, multiple diamond-encrusted gold bracelets and rings, and a Versace dog tag. Beyond assets, authorities recovered five pounds of marijuana, half a kilogram of cocaine, heroin, THC-infused gummies, fentanyl, methamphetamine, 14 mobile phones, and multiple other electronic devices. A handwritten note dated June 27, 2023, found in Dunn’s primary bedroom simply read: “I have $10 million.” Prosecutors also seized four bank accounts holding a combined $653,000, $120,000 in cash from Dunn’s property, and an additional $270,000 in cash from an associate’s property. A .45 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol was also recovered during the search.

During a 2023 bail hearing, federal prosecutors pushed back hard against Dunn’s claims of redemption, arguing he had never left the drug trade. “We do believe that the defendant is a sophisticated and prolific drug trafficker operating in Georgia. That is how he funds his lifestyle,” prosecution attorneys told the court. Magistrate Judge Christopher Bly agreed, denying bail and noting that Dunn’s decades-long prior prison sentence had done nothing to deter his criminal activity. “Within a year or so of finishing the supervised release, best I can tell if I’m doing the math right, within a year or so of finishing supervised release you’re charged in Fulton County and then within another two years you’re charged in the current case,” Bly said.

Along with drug trafficking charges, Dunn also faces allegations that he planned a violent attack against a rival drug gang. The charges against him carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment. His wife, Leticia Evans Dunn, has also been implicated in the scheme. Both Dunn and Deas have formally denied all charges against them and are awaiting trial. Requests for comment from Dunn’s legal team went unanswered as of press time.

After nearly eight months evading law enforcement, a murder suspect who dramatically escaped court custody has finally been taken back into police custody, closing one of the most high-profile manhunts in recent memory. The capture of D’Angelo Culmer on Thursday also pulled a second local man into legal trouble, who now faces accusations of helping the fugitive avoid detection, alongside additional drug-related charges uncovered during the arrest operation.

The takedown was carried out by elite law enforcement units: officers from the Internal Security Division, the national police department’s SWAT team, intercepted a grey Nissan Note at the intersection of Tonique Williams-Darling Highway and Premiers Avenue shortly before noon Thursday. Inside the vehicle, Culmer was located alongside a 44-year-old local man, and a subsequent search of the car and both occupants yielded a significant drug seizure: one pound and eight ounces of suspected marijuana, stored in a black backpack. Police estimate the seized narcotics has a street value of approximately $3,200.

Both men were immediately taken into custody and formally cautioned in connection with the alleged drug possession offense. Beyond the drug charges, the 44-year-old also faces an additional accusation of harbouring a fugitive for aiding Culmer during his months on the run.

Culmer’s escape originally unfolded on October 2, 2025, when he fled from the Nassau Street Court Complex on South Street around 3:30 p.m. At the time of his escape, he was facing serious criminal charges: one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder connected to a January 31, 2024, shooting incident. Prosecutors allege that Culmer opened fire on a group of people from a moving vehicle on Ragged Island Street that day, leaving 39-year-old Rudiska Bethel dead and two other victims, Carla Bain and Lorenzo Sands, with non-fatal injuries. Culmer had first been arraigned on these charges at the Magistrate’s Court on February 16, 2024.

Culmer’s escape triggered immediate public scrutiny of security protocols at the court complex, prompting an internal investigation into how a high-risk murder suspect was able to slip away from custody. Just one month after the escape, in November 2025, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles confirmed that three serving police officers had been placed under investigation over the security breach. Commissioner Knowles also announced at that time that existing security measures at the court complex had already been upgraded to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

By January 2026, Commissioner Knowles confirmed that the three officers had been referred to an internal police tribunal to face disciplinary proceedings over Culmer’s escape. As of that update, one officer had already been placed on interdiction, and a second was expected to receive the same disciplinary action as the tribunal process moved forward. The current status of these internal disciplinary proceedings has not been updated publicly as of Culmer’s recapture.

On Thursday, disgruntled members of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) based in Grand Bahama staged a public protest outside the union’s Freeport headquarters, delivering a seven-day ultimatum to BPSU President Kimsley Ferguson to address a cascade of allegations ranging from financial mismanagement to deliberate violations of the union’s constitution.

Dozens of demonstrators assembled outside the BPSU Building just after midday, chanting slogans calling for Ferguson’s ouster as they laid out a series of long-simmering grievances that have split the union’s leadership. Core among the complaints are claims that Ferguson has failed to publish required biannual financial reports stretching all the way back to 2019, left thousands of dollars in mandatory National Insurance Board (NIB) contributions unpaid, and allowed the union’s key properties in both Grand Bahama and New Providence to operate without active insurance coverage.

Latoya Cartwright-Jones, BPSU’s Northern Region Area Vice President, told reporters that Ferguson has stonewalled repeated requests from elected executive board members for months, refusing to initiate consultations or open lines of communication about the mounting concerns. Rank-and-file members and leadership alike are demanding full access to financial records that detail how union dues and funds have been allocated, clarity on why NIB payments remain outstanding years after they were due, and an explanation for the lapsed insurance coverage on union-owned buildings.

“We are not making baseless accusations,” Cartwright-Jones explained. “We are simply asking him to produce receipts for every expenditure, to account for why NIB payments have not been made, and to explain why our properties still do not have insurance coverage. When we raise concerns about misappropriation, we are referring directly to the failure to direct union funds to the mandatory and necessary purposes they were allocated for.”

According to Cartwright-Jones, the seven-day deadline is set under BPSU’s own governing constitution. If Ferguson fails to provide satisfactory responses within the timeframe, she said, the union will move forward with formal disciplinary measures that could include suspension via a general membership vote, removal from office, and mandatory accountability processes for the alleged violations. She also issued a formal call for the Bahamas Ministry of Labour to intervene in the dispute, noting that independent audits of union finances have been pending since 2019.

Anton Michael King, a shop steward representing the Gaming Board, amplified the allegations, claiming that tens of thousands of dollars in employee contributions earmarked for NIB are unaccounted for. He also questioned why the union’s democratically elected treasurer has been blocked from accessing BPSU’s financial records and official bank accounts for multiple years, a direct violation of the union’s standard governance protocols.

King added another serious allegation: that Ferguson failed to renew insurance coverage on union properties even after receiving and depositing an insurance payout for damage to BPSU buildings caused by Hurricane Dorian. “You took the entire insurance check to Nassau,” King said, directly referencing the president’s actions.

Additional shop stewards representing three major government departments echoed these concerns. Taronya Wildgoose of Social Services, Eric Bastian of the Department of Agriculture and Marine Resources, and Athony Francis of the Post Office all outlined their own grievances, including that gas pumps purchased with union funds remain non-operational years after acquisition, that vehicles approved for purchase by the general membership years ago have never been acquired, and that multiple board appointments have been made without the required approval of the BPSU executive board.

“Our members have a fundamental right to answers, to full transparency, and to demand that the union’s constitution is respected at all times,” Bastian said.

The demonstration drew support from leaders of other major Bahamian trade unions, including Bahamas Nurses Union Vice President William Bartlett and Charlice Ellis of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union, both of whom were in attendance to stand with protesting BPSU members.

As of press time, multiple attempts by The Tribune to reach Ferguson for comment on the allegations, including phone calls and written messages, have gone unanswered.

A brazen broad-daylight shooting in the residential neighborhood of Elizabeth Estates has claimed the life of a man in his early 20s and left a 30-something woman injured, marking the 27th murder recorded in the nation this year. As law enforcement worked to process the chaotic crime scene on Thursday, grief-stricken family members clashed with police barriers, their anguished reactions laying bare the human cost of the rising violence.

The most heart-wrenching scene unfolded near the yellow police tape, where the victim’s sobbing sister repeatedly tried to push past officers to reach her dead brother. Multiple times, police had to gently hold her back, before Chief Superintendent Sheria King, the department’s public information liaison, stepped in to offer personal comfort to the inconsolable woman.

According to initial police accounts, emergency dispatch received multiple reports of gunfire shortly before 3 p.m., with calls pinpointing the attack near the intersection of Antigua Street and Barbados Avenue. Preliminary probe findings show the young male victim had just pulled up near his home when a pale-colored Japanese-made vehicle entered the block. Multiple occupants exited the vehicle, drew concealed handguns, and immediately opened fire on the victim, police confirmed.

Despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, the victim attempted to escape the ambush by driving away, only to lose control of his vehicle and crash into a nearby residential property a short distance from the original shooting site. He was pronounced dead at the crash site by responding first responders. A female passenger in his vehicle, believed to be in her early 30s, suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds to her upper body and was rushed to a local hospital for urgent medical care. As of Thursday evening, her condition has not been updated by authorities.

Investigators have not yet confirmed how many attackers took part in the coordinated ambush. King told reporters that the investigation team is currently canvassing the entire neighborhood to locate private and public CCTV cameras that could capture footage of the vehicle and attackers, but no concrete details on the number of suspects have been confirmed.

When pressed by reporters on whether the victim had a prior criminal record, King confirmed that he was wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet tied to a previous serious criminal offense, but declined to share further details on the nature of the offense. She also could not confirm whether the victim had recently been released from correctional custody ahead of the attack.

As the active investigation continues, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has issued a public appeal for any witnesses or residents with information about the shooting, the vehicle used in the attack, or the suspects to contact confidential tip lines or local detective units to assist with the case.

A horrific accidental shooting in the Bahamas’ Bimini has left an 8-year-old boy fighting for his life, and a community-driven crowdfunding effort has already generated more than $24,000 in emergency support to help his family cover mounting costs.

Eight-year-old Duran Saunders suffered two life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head on May 23, after his 12-year-old brother found a loaded firearm while the pair played together at a commercial property on King’s Highway in North Bimini. The weapon discharged accidentally, striking Duran above his left eyebrow and at the back left of his head. Emergency responders rushed the injured child to Bimini Community Clinic just after 9 p.m. that same day, where clinical staff immediately contacted local law enforcement. Attending doctors classified Duran’s injuries as severe, prompting an urgent request for airlifted advanced care.

Stepping in to coordinate critical emergency transport was American couple Raul and Yarelys Rodriguez, second homeowners with deep personal ties to the North Bimini community. The pair arranged and funded the emergency air ambulance that transferred Duran to a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital, where he underwent immediate life-saving brain surgery. As of the most recent update, the young patient is listed in stable condition, though he remains in critical care.

In the wake of the accident, the Rodriguezes launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the Saunders family, who now face staggering medical bills and unexpected legal fees related to the incident. The fundraiser set a total goal of $100,000, and in the week following the shooting, 77 individual donors have contributed a cumulative $24,766 – nearly a quarter of the targeted amount – marking a massive outpouring of public support for the struggling family.

On the campaign’s page, the Rodriguezes described the accident as “every family’s worst nightmare,” emphasizing that the 12-year-old responsible for the shooting is not a dangerous criminal, but a child himself traumatized by a tragedy that has permanently altered both boys’ lives. He remains in custody in Bimini following the incident, leaving his family grappling with simultaneous emotional distress over two of their children.

“Their family is now facing unimaginable emotional pain along with overwhelming medical and legal expenses,” Yarelys Rodriguez explained, noting that she and her husband felt compelled to act out of their longstanding care for the Bimini community. The couple has issued a public appeal for continued support, asking for both prayers for the boys and their family and additional donations to help the Saunders family weather their crisis.

“Every donation, no matter the size, can make a difference when people come together to help a family in crisis,” the Rodriguezes said.