Customs seizes guns, drugs in $8m border haul

Customs officers in Barbados have seized 12 firearms, about 900 rounds of ammunition and nearly 1 000 kilograms of plant material as they deal with evolving threats at the country’s borders.

Acting Comptroller of Customs Lynette Padmore disclosed that officers had also intercepted cocaine, methamphetamines, tactical gear, camouflage, tasers and drones.

Teams working at the air and sea ports and the General Post Office seized the plant material, which has an estimated street value of about $8 million.

Padmore revealed the figures on Sunday as she addressed the Barbados Customs and Excise Department’s 121st anniversary church service at Power in the Blood Assembly, Tudor Bridge, St Michael.

She warned that smugglers were using all possible routes to move illegal shipments through the country’s ports and said greater cooperation among border agencies was critical.

“Most territories now face similar challenges, and Barbados will remain exposed to these evolving threats if every agency operates with a singular mentality,” she said.

“The level of awareness relevant to some synthetic drugs and the porosity of our borders will continue to be problematic should we not collectively reinforce our intention towards the protection of our borders.”

Padmore said Customs was working with local, regional and international law enforcement agencies on targeted operations to strengthen border controls, fight smuggling and investigate fraud.

She highlighted Customs’ involvement in Operation Calypso and Operation Core 8 in 2025, saying these efforts led to positive results in stopping narcotics and financial crimes, human trafficking and other illegal activities.

“Interagency cooperation through planned operations benefit from collaboration and the employment of various measures to assist with interdictions,” she said.

The Acting Comptroller also revealed that Customs collected $5.47 billion in revenue between the 2023 financial year and July 2026.

However, she said more than $3 billion in potential revenue was lost because of concessions and waivers given to the business community, along with fraudulent tax evasion practices like undervaluation and under-invoicing.

“This figure could have been higher were it not affected by the loss of over $3 billion in revenue which has been foregone through concessions and waivers to the business community or from the fraudulent tax evasion practices of undervaluation and under-invoicing which continues to threaten the financial systems and mutual trust between Customs and some of our stakeholders,” Padmore said.

The department is facing challenges due to the loss of valuable knowledge after many experienced employees retired.

“We now have quite a few relatively new staff who are now learning the fundamentals of Customs. Training is therefore essential at this juncture, and we are meeting it head on,” she said.

Eighteen officers are due to begin an intensive valuation training workshop in association with the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre, while the wider department is expected to participate in the National Transformation Initiative’s Art and Heart of Service culture shift programme.

Officers have also been trained in small arms and light weapons identification, illicit trafficking methods, the use of 3D printers for illicit firearm manufacturing, specialised marine enforcement, synthetic drug detection, artificial intelligence in cybersecurity and data analytics.

Padmore said Customs was pursuing further modernisation, with its information technology team working to incorporate artificial intelligence and smart systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

But she acknowledged that the department had faced sustained public criticism and told employees that restoring its reputation would require a change in direction.

“We are aware that recent times have caused this department to be constantly criticised and to be the subject of unfavourable responses which must now be adjusted,” she said.

Padmore said Customs was facing challenges ranging from limited resources and revenue leakage to undervaluation of imports and increased national security threats from narcotics, firearms and human trafficking.

She nevertheless pledged that the department would work to rebuild public confidence.

“We are all equal, and together we can restore our image, renew our efforts, and seek to change our current direction,” she said.

“Our core values of professionalism, integrity, accountability and transparency must guide our approach to our daily tasks, and like a phoenix, we will rise again.”

(SM)