ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The leadership of Antigua and Barbuda’s law-enforcement and national security agencies say they will continue to work against any attempt to make the island a transit corridor for narcotics trafficking.

“We will not provide shelter for those who profit from it. We remain vigilant at sea, resolute in investigation, firm in enforcement and committed to cooperation with trusted partners—guided always by the law and the national interest,” they said in a joint statement.

The heads of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy and Antigua and Barbuda Immigration Department are also calling on the population to “remain alert and to report suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities”.

They said that Antigua and Barbuda continues to work closely with regional and international partners to address evolving threats and that the public is assured that law enforcement, border control agencies and the defence force remain “fully engaged and vigilant to protect the nation, preserve the integrity of its financial and border systems and contribute responsibly to regional and international security”.

In their joint statement, the leaders said that Antigua and Barbuda reaffirms its firm commitment to safeguarding national and regional security through sustained action against drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms trafficking, and organised crime, while remaining vigilant to emerging threats related to cybercrime and irregular migration.

They said they recognise that recent counter-drug efforts by the United States Government aimed at disrupting narcotics flows from producing countries to the south “have resulted in allegations reported in sections of the print and electronic media that governments and leaders of governments within the Caribbean were corrupted by narco-traffickers”.

The leaders said that the most recent national threat analysis continues to classify Antigua and Barbuda as a “low-risk jurisdiction, reflecting a strong legal and regulatory framework, effective financial oversight, a comparatively low crime rate, and meaningful international cooperation”.