Barbados Customs seizes 12 guns and drugs amid rising smuggling attempts

Finance Minister Ryan Straughn says Customs is intensifying border security as smuggling grows more sophisticated. Recent seizures included 12 firearms and narcotics.

Straughn: Barbados Customs stepping up fight against firearms and drug smuggling

The Barbados Customs and Excise Department has seized 12 firearms, 15 magazines and approximately 900 rounds of ammunition, along with cocaine, methamphetamines and other prohibited items — disclosures that came as Finance Minister Ryan Straughn pledged a continued crackdown on illegal imports, Barbados Today reports.

Straughn addressed a press conference at the department on Tuesday, coinciding with the agency's 121st anniversary. He identified border security as one of three core functions of Customs, alongside revenue collection and the facilitation of legitimate trade.

"Even though we've deployed as much technology as we can and we will continue to deploy more technology, nothing really beats human intelligence, and training our officers is part of that effort," Straughn said. He added that the department would keep investing in officer training while simultaneously expanding its technological capabilities to ease the movement of lawful goods.

The minister's remarks followed a disclosure by newly appointed Comptroller of Customs Lynette Padmore, who confirmed the recent haul of weapons and narcotics. Straughn acknowledged that smugglers are finding increasingly sophisticated methods to move prohibited goods across Barbados's borders.

On the matter of firearms specifically, Straughn was direct. "Barbados does not make guns," he said. "No country in the region manufactures guns, and therefore you must have some licence, which is usually issued by the Commissioner of Police, to import guns into Barbados. If you are not doing so within that framework, then it is not legitimate trade."

He placed unlicensed firearms in the same category as illicit narcotics, referencing a regional trend that has alarmed authorities. "Crystal meth and those types of things, which we've seen a significant increase across the Americas, is something that the customs department, working with partners, tries to make sure we prevent from entering Barbados," Straughn said.

The minister also highlighted the broader economic disruption caused by illegal shipments at the island's ports. He described a scenario in which a legitimate importer, upon opening a container, discovers firearms inside — triggering a police response that halts all activity at the facility.

"Imagine the disruption that has to happen — the police got to turn up, and because there's that type of action there, it disrupts everybody else's business in the place who are doing legitimate things," Straughn said. "So these things really matter."

Compliance with declaration requirements was another theme Straughn pressed. He cited the hypothetical example of crystal methamphetamine concealed among goods declared as vitamins, warning that such deceptions carry public health consequences beyond any revenue loss.

"Compliance matters because we do not want to have a situation where we have more addicts in the community," he said, describing the issue as "a growing concern across the country."

Straughn said the department would continue to balance tightened border enforcement with the smooth processing of legal commerce, pursuing both more advanced detection technology and improved training for frontline officers.

Source: Barbados Today