{"id":636,"date":"2026-05-18T21:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T21:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636"},"modified":"2026-05-18T21:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T21:01:39","slug":"crash-off-florida-coast-shows-bahamas-miami-links-to-drug-trafficking-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636","title":{"rendered":"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/p>\n<p><i><b>Editor&#8217;s Note: <\/b>Last week\u2019s plane crash is not the first time Coleman has been connected to a downed aircraft. Coleman said Gardiner was involved with a drug load in or about 2023 in Rum Cay, Bahamas, during which the plane being used to transport cocaine crashed and the drug pilot died.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=634\">\u2018It crept up on me.\u2019 ARod is 50 \u2014 and admits to a middle-age issue<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The incident, which unfolded on the same day Bahamian voters returned Prime Minister Philip \u201cBrave\u201d Davis and his Progressive Liberal Party to power for a second consecutive term, is also raising questions about whether the arrest of Jonathan Eric Gardiner \u2014 a politically connected trafficker found carrying $30,000 in cash \u2014 could lead to additional arrests, including that of an unnamed Bahamian politician.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Gardiner, who appeared in court in Orlando on Friday, is accused of a federal cocaine importation conspiracy and was charged in the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to import a controlled substance, according to court records.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>His case appears linked to a November 2024 indictment in the same federal court in New York in which more than a dozen people were charged, including two key suspects arrested in Miami. The revelations at the time rattled the Bahamian government, prompted the resignation of the country\u2019s police commissioner even though he was not accused of wrongdoing, and fueled speculation about drug traffickers\u2019 foothold in the government.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Gardiner\u2019s indictment is likely to intensify the scrutiny, coming at a time when the Trump administration has made combatting drug trafficking in the Caribbean a key focus of its foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A deposition by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Coleman, filed after Gardiner\u2019s Tuesday crash, reveals that he had been under surveillance as part of a broader investigation into drug-trafficking networks allegedly using Bahamian government connections to move U.S.-bound Colombian cocaine through Florida into the U.S.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Previous U.S. government indictment<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In November 2024, federal prosecutors charged 13 individuals in New York federal court, including several high-ranking Royal Bahamas Police Force officers, a Royal Bahamas Defense Force petty officer and a Colombian national, Luis Fernando Orozco-Toro, whom Coleman said admitted to being in contact with Gardiner.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Orozco-Toro, who is awaiting trial in New York, told a DEA confidential source during a secretly recorded meeting on Sept. 3, 2024 that Gardiner was putting up \u201cgovernment buildings,\u201d according to the deposition from Coleman. Orozco-Toro \u201cclaimed that Gardiner was reportedly trying to keep his involvement below the radar of law enforcement,\u201d the document added. At the time of the recording, Orozco-Toro and the confidential source were discussing details of large shipment of cocaine from Colombian through The Bahamas.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>According to Coleman, in October 2024, a high-ranking Bahamian politician met with individuals inside the Bahamian Parliament building to discuss the U.S.-bound cocaine shipment, which had an estimated street value of $30 million. The politician believed the individuals were representatives of an international drug smuggling cartel. In reality, they were DEA informants posing as drug traffickers as part of the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=632\">Doral prepares to name Miami Springs Police Chief Matthew Castillo as its next top cop<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The politician wasn\u2019t identified in the 2024 indictment, which also implicated politicians in both major political parties. But his name surfaced again last week when a U.S. Air Force helicopter crew rescued Gardner and 10 other Bahamians after the Panamanian-registered Beechcraft 300 King Air turboprop aircraft they were aboard crashed about 80 miles off Melbourne. The airplane had reportedly departed from Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, and was headed for Freeport. Gardiner, a previously convicted drug trafficker with government connections who goes by the name \u201cPlayer,\u201d was carrying a cross-body bag with $30,000 in Bahamian currency \u2014 roughly equivalent to the same amount in U.S. dollars \u2014 inside a brown paper bag, according to Coleman\u2019s affidavit.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In the filings, federal prosecutors condemned The Bahamas for allowing its airports and seaports to be used as transshipment points for cocaine smuggling \u201cagainst the backdrop of rising crime rates.\u201d Coleman\u2019s deposition, meanwhile, sheds new light on the investigation and on how cocaine is moved from The Bahamas into the United States, with South Florida \u2014 particularly Miami \u2014 serving as a key transit point.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>DEA investigating<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In the Gardiner filings, he notes that The Bahamas has multiple small airstrips throughout the southern portion of the island chain that generally do not require flight plans for arriving or departing aircraft. Increasingly, Coleman said, multiple drug trafficking organizations have relied on these remote airstrips to move drug shipments under the protection of local officials, including high-ranking members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Bahamian government contracts<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Gardiner was convicted in the Southern District of Florida on federal narcotics and money laundering charges in 2006, and sentenced to 18 years in prison. In 2014, he was deported to The Bahamas where, according to the affidavit, he owns a business that, among other things, bid on Bahamian government-issued construction contracts and launder his narcotics trafficking proceeds .<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He is also tied to a Georgia-based trafficking ring, which relied on Gardiner to acquire cocaine from The Bahamas, according to DEA wire taps. He allegedly sent nine kilograms of cocaine through Miami in February 2023 to Georgia.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In one recorded conversation cited in the complaint, a co-conspirator described the logistical challenges of moving the cocaine to Miami, including dealing \u201cwith air traffic control and the coast guard,\u201d while also discussing the involvement of corrupt government officials.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>According to wiretapped conversations, Gardiner had \u201cfive private planes and flew from the \u2018islands\u2019 to Florida,\u201d even though he was barred from entering the U.S. due to his prior incarceration and deportation.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=630\">Worker at Broward juvenile facility arrested for having sex with inmate, BSO says<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>Miami Herald reporter David Goodhue contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Bahamian man rescued after a plane crashed off Florida\u2019s coast is accused in a federal cocaine importation conspiracy case, and is connected to several others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-americas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network - Florida Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network - Florida Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Bahamian man rescued after a plane crashed off Florida\u2019s coast is accused in a federal cocaine importation conspiracy case, and is connected to several others.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Florida Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T21:01:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f\"},\"headline\":\"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T21:01:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636\"},\"wordCount\":963,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Americas\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636\",\"name\":\"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network - Florida Moving Chronicle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T21:01:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=636#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Florida Moving Chronicle\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/floridamovingchronicle.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network - Florida Moving Chronicle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network - Florida Moving Chronicle","og_description":"A Bahamian man rescued after a plane crashed off Florida\u2019s coast is accused in a federal cocaine importation conspiracy case, and is connected to several others.","og_url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636","og_site_name":"Florida Moving Chronicle","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T21:01:39+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f"},"headline":"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network","datePublished":"2026-05-18T21:01:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636"},"wordCount":963,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg","articleSection":["Americas"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636","url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636","name":"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network - Florida Moving Chronicle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-05-18T21:01:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/bee5f4e48e9358a6e52de7f4a6c813bb.jpeg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=636#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Crash off Florida coast shows Bahamas, Miami links to drug trafficking network"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/","name":"Florida Moving Chronicle","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/482f60b6a0b7cc84b37966d78057552f","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com"],"url":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}