POSSIBLE SMUGGLING OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS OF MIDDLE

UNCLAS NASSAU 001847 SIPDIS DS/IP/ITA - KAYLA J. HALL, DS/IP/WHA, DS/CC, DHS PLEASE PASS TO ICE ATTACHE MIKE LOONEY, KINGSTON FOR RSO AND DEA, PORT AU PRINCE FOR RSO AND DEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC SUBJECT: POSSIBLE SMUGGLING OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS OF MIDDLE EASTERN DECENT TO THE U.S. REF: SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - CONTAINS LAW ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION ¶1. (SBU) Information was passed on October 27, 2005 to RSO John V. Kane by DEA Country Attachi (CA) Kevin Stanfill that DEA recently recruited a Confidential Informant (CI) in the Bahamas who is a boat captain by SIPDIS trade. The CI returned from the United States in September 2005 to the Bahamas after serving five years in a U.S. federal prison for Conspiracy to Import/Distribute Cocaine. ¶2. (SBU) Upon the CI_ return to the Bahamas, the CI was approached by several smugglers who attempted to recruit the CI to smuggle narcotics via vessel. ¶3. (SBU) In October 2005, the CI was approached by Paul Ferguson from Freeport, Grand Bahama (NFI),regarding the smuggling of illegal migrants into the United States. Ferguson told the CI that he had a contact in Jamaica who has persons of Middle Eastern decent who needed to be smuggled into the United States. The DEA Case Agent, Mike Bulgrin had the CI reconfirm that the persons that Ferguson was speaking about were Middle Easterners. The CI reconfirmed this to SA Bulgrin after a conversation with Ferguson. Ferguson went on to tell the CI that the smuggling route would be Jamaica to Haiti and finally to South Florida. ¶4. (SBU) RSO is attempting to get further information regarding Ferguson and has spoken with Royal Bahamas Police Force Inspector Steve Strachan, who works for the Security and Intelligence Branch in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Inspector Strachan said that he would do records checks on the name Paul Ferguson and pass the information to RSO. Interestingly enough a check of the Consular Consolidated Database revealed that there are only two Paul Ferguson_ that have been issued visas in the Bahamas. One is Paul Racardo Robert Ferguson, DOB June 7, 1969 and the other Paul Novel Ferguson, DOB December 2, 1973. ¶5. (SBU) RSO has passed the above information on to FBI A/LAT and ICE Attachi. Contact for this information is RSO John V. Kane, office number (242) 322-1181 x4329, cell number (242) 457-3902. HARDT