British Virgin Islands’ Prime Minister Andrew Fahie was arrested on the charges of drug trafficking and money laundering in US.
Fahie, the elected head of government in the British overseas territory, was detained in Miami after agreeing to give agents posing as drug smugglers access to British Virgin Islands’ ports in exchange for $700,000 (€663,000).
Fahie was arrested by US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials in Florida, alongside senior BVI port official Oleanvine Maynard.
Andrew Fahie appeared in federal court in Miami on Friday, a day after he was arrested by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in an elaborate sting operation that also snared the chief executive of the BVI port authority and her son.
After the arrest of Fahie, Britain is poised to impose a form of direct rule over the British Virgin Islands.
The UK foreign secretary Liz Truss did not immediately impose direct rule but said the report showed “clearly that substantial legislative and constitutional change is required to restore the standards of governance that the people of the BVI are entitled to”.
The UK is already responsible for defence and foreign policy in the BVI, which is a British overseas territory, but Governor General John Rankin – Queen Elizabeth’s representative on the island – is now expected to take charge of all BVI domestic policy and budgets.
