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whatever became of the report about the Miranda investigation?

from the Mid Ocean news (Bermuda newspaper)...

A year after the Serious Crimes Commission closed its doors, a drug trafficking report of major proportion went missing, despite Commission counsel Richard Hector’s admission that he recalled seeing it.  In fact, he saw it go into the chairman’s briefcase.  Deputy Governor Tim Gurney, however, said it “didn’t ring a bell.”

Both the chairman of the commission, Stanley Moore and Government House - which maintains overall responsibility for Bermuda’s internal security - denied knowledge of the submission from a former senior police officer.  The submission detailed the collapse of a 1990s Bermuda police investigation into an international money-laundering and drug-trafficking ring operating out of the island (the Miranda enquiry)

 The case involved drug trafficking, the laundering of drugs proceeds, a local layer, several local and international companies, and U.S. death row inmates Marcus Cohab and Hugo Mata, members of an American drug cartel that smuggled narcotics into Bermuda aboard cruise ships.

 Cohab and Mata were convicted of drugs-related killings.  Local authorities were working in conjunction with the American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Manhattan, Interpol, and others.

The retired police officer alleges that his report into the 1990s investigation - which failed to result in any local prosecutions - may have been brushed under the carpet because last year Bermuda was battling to keep its name off several international money-laundering blacklists.

Hector said he gave the submission to Chairman Stanley Moore.  Local lawyer Shirley Simmons and UK police officer Don Dovaston, were present, he said.  Hector said he recalled Moore stating that after he read it, he would pass it onto Governor Thorold Masefield.

When the newspaper called Moore, though, he said he didn’t recall the submission.  He also said he didn’t see the police officer’s name in the commission report.  When the Mid-Ocean News broke the report of the missing submission two weeks before, Deputy Governor Tim Gurney said the officer’s name and the submission “did not ring a bell.”

 “But in a dramatic U-turn on Wednesday the Deputy Governor’s office said they would be pressing the police to find out why the police investigation in the 1990s was dropped.”

Hector recalled that several months after the commission ended the senior police officer returned to find out what had been done.  Hector called Guerney, to whom the matter would have first gone.  He couldn’t remember anything about it, Hector said.  I sent him a copy, and he still couldn’t remember.  That is where it was left.

 The officer wrote, May I respectfully suggest that during the course of your inquiry you would derive considerable benefit from an examination of the circumstances surrounding the collapse of an investigation of what undoubtedly remains the largest and most serious crimes of conspiracy, drug trafficking, and money laundering ever conducted in the Bermuda Police Service.

comment:

it is not in the island's interest to reopen the enquiry.  An incredible amount of intelligence was gathered and many people named.  It is suspected that Bermuda neither has the ability or inclination to pursue those who made their fortunes supplying many with cocaine.  At the trial of Miranda (and others) the judge commented that he was surprised that the island of Bermuda could absorb so much drug.

the enquiry was effectively shut down when the author of this site was forced to leave the island.  The author played an integral part in the investigation and as evidenced by this site, has evidence and a good recollection of events.  To re-open the investigation would be to re-open the complaint raised on this site and expose the incompetence of the Bermuda police.  It does not surprise the author, who was removed at the height of the investigation, that the report into the Miranda enquiry was 'lost'.  However, many years have passed and still there is no word on the enquiry ... and why would there be?  Bermuda has swept it under the carpet.

It is suspected that the 'former senior officer' is none other than the officer who investigated the complaint submitted by the author of this site.  The officer dismissed the complaint in an incredibly short time.  The author remains adamant that the complaints were justified; absolute!  It is not accepted that the senior officer did anything more than pay lip service to the complaint and dismissed it out of hand to protect serving officers and because there was no need to do any more - the author had left the island.

Possibly the officer now understands the error of his ways and that he probably shot himself in the foot.  By dismissing the complaint made by the author he condemned any subsequent investigation or re-opening of the Miranda enquiry.   Why would Bermuda open the enquiry and have the content of this site in the spotlight, how could the enquiry be reopened without involving the author of this site, or the allegations? 

What goes around comes around.  The officer's shortsighted dismissal of the author's complaints have had effects beyond the short term protection of the Bermuda police at the expense of the author.  The result has been to put pay to the very enquiry that the officer wished to see resurrected - how could it be without involving the very person who was stabbed in the back by the police and the officer's investigation.  Nothing less than he deserved.

as for Bermuda ... time and time again the 1990 enquiry is mentioned - it was to be reconsidered, was still open or the report uncovered.  Don't make us laugh!  This is not about prevention or detecting of crime, nor is it about the apprehension or prosecution of offenders.  It is about burying facts, hiding the truth, protecting the guilty (incompetent), not admitting the truth and an inability to be honest and admit mistakes. Furthermore, Bermuda does not have the expertise or inclination to run the major investigation.  When you hear the 1990 investigation mentioned, expect to be fobbed off in the next breath ... just where is that report?

and you wonder why Bermuda has such a crime problem!

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