The 50-year-old Haitian man arrested by the police in Grand Bahama last week with more than $2.3 million cash in his possession has been released from police custody pending further investigation, the Journal has learnt.

According to Head of the Drug Enforcement Unit in New Providence Superintendent Anthony Ferguson, the Haitian man, a construction worker, was released this week as the police tried to determine how the funds were derived.

"We still have to determine the source of the funds," said Supt. Ferguson. "He has not been formally arraigned and this matter is still under active investigation. As soon as we complete our investigation, a determination would be made."

"He has been released pending [the investigation]. You have to have sufficient evidence before you can put somebody before the courts and we like to do our investigations. The law does not permit us to keep people locked up forever," he said.

He said that he does not know if the man has retained an attorney since his release.

"Once we are able to make a clear determination, then we can determine where to do go from there," he said.

Officers from the Central Detective and Drug Enforcement Units arrived at the man’s #2 Royal Palm Apartment, located on Fortune Drive in Freeport, around 9 pm last week Monday, according to police reports.

Officers were alerted after someone tripped an alarm at the complex.

Officers reportedly found bundled U.S. dollars littering the ground and the door to the residence off the hinge.

Police waited at the home until the apartment’s tenant arrived.

Then, a further search of the apartment turned up four suitcases packed with $2,378,213 dollars in cash – all but $18,495 in US currency.

Police confiscated the money suspecting it to be "proceeds derived from criminal conduct."

According to Supt. Ferguson, the police will be in a position within the next week or two as to whether to file charges, and what charges will be filed.

"A week is not a long time. There are a number of lines of inquiries that need to be completed before we can put a matter before the court. You don’t want to put an incomplete investigation before the court," said Supt. Ferguson.

"I cannot give an exact date as to when we will be making a final decision without all of the facts and all of the information that we need. It is rather difficult to say," he said.

It has been rumored on Grand Bahama that the Haitian man in question is known as a ‘numbers’ man, but Supt. Ferguson said that could not be confirmed by the police.

"I am not in a position to confirm or deny those rumors but you can imagine that once the investigation is concluded, we will be in a better position to present the case," he said.

Supt. Ferguson said that it is too early to determine whether other persons will also be brought before the courts in connection with this matter.

"It is too early to say. We are taking it one step at a time and once we reach those areas, we will be able to determine whether or not there are other persons involved," he said.

BY VANESSA C. ROLLE

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