Key facts
- The Bahamas has accused 'rogue' DEA agents of operating illegally on its territory.
- Bahamian Ambassador to the US Wendall Jones raised the issue with the Trump administration.
- The complaint was lodged during a meeting with the US Department of Justice.
- The Bahamas authorizes seven DEA agents to operate on the island.
- US Ambassador to The Bahamas Herschel Walker dismissed the accusation as 'fake news'.
The Bahamas has accused "rogue" US Drug Enforcement Administration agents of operating illegally on its territory, with the country's ambassador to the US, Wendall Jones, raising the issue with the Trump administration. Bahamian officials lodged the grievance on Friday in a meeting in Washington with the US Department of Justice. Jones stated that these agents operate without the consent of the Bahamian government or the Royal Bahamas Police Force, which he described as a violation of law and treaty. The US State Department, Justice Department, and DEA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Bahamian newspaper The Tribune first reported the complaint, quoting US Ambassador to The Bahamas Herschel Walker, who dismissed the accusation as "fake news." The Bahamas authorizes seven DEA agents to operate on the island, according to Jones, who did not provide an estimate for the number of agents believed to be operating without authorization. The Trump administration reportedly told Bahamian officials that it would investigate the matter. The complaint comes amid a major US drug trafficking prosecution that has indicted more than a half-dozen Bahamians, including senior members of the country's police and defense force, accused of participating in an operation to smuggle drugs from South America through The Bahamas to the United States. Jones stated that these indictments did not factor into The Bahamas' complaint about illegal DEA operations. Mexico has also previously alleged that US agents were working in the country without authorization.