Customs Guard, three Venezuelans dead, after Union Island shoot-out – Substance believed to be cocaine found

An undisclosed quantity of what is believed to be cocaine was discovered late yesterday afternoon by divers from the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard and the Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP),{{more}} as investigations into what caused the deaths of four men off the coast of Union Island on Sunday night continue.

Some time before 5:00 p.m. on Monday, the police divers, assisted by Rangers from the TCMP, discovered the packaged substance on the sea floor, in an area where the alleged shoot-out between local police and men on the boat, believed to be Venezuelans, took place.

The package was said to be tied to an anchor, and is believed to have been thrown overboard by the men from the fishing trawler, which flew a Venezuelan flag.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that on Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m., after observing suspicious activity, Customs Guard Othneil Whyte and Rapid Response Unit Officer Corporal DeShong boarded the vessel, which was anchored some distance from the Clifton dock at Union Island.

Information reaching SEARCHLIGHT is that Whyte pointed out the suspicious package to Corporal DeShong, at which point one of the men on the vessel, who was armed with a weapon, opened fire on the public servants, while the vessel proceeded to head out to sea.

At this point, the police officer returned fire, striking the gunman, and opened fire on other men who had attacked him.

At some point during the fire fight, the package was said to have been thrown overboard.

When the gun smoke cleared, three of the nine foreigners were dead and one was injured.

Whyte, a customs guard for two decades, was unaccounted for. He was found floating in the sea a few hours after; and declared dead at the Union Island Health Centre.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, accompanied by top security and government officials, visited the island earlier on Monday, and indicated that a Coroner’s Inquest into the matter would take place.

The drugs, as well as the vessel ‘El Amigo Fay’, were brought up to mainland St Vincent by the coast-guard on Monday evening. The other five men who had been aboard the vessel have been taken into custody.(JJ)