A suspected drug trafficker pulled from a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean was carrying bag of cash labeled with the name of a politician in the Bahamas, investigators say.
Jonathan Eric Gardiner, 58, was among 11 passengers rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force after the Bahamas-bound aircraft went down May 12, leaving the survivors stranded at sea for roughly five hours.
The Bahamian man, who was deported from the U.S. to the Bahamas more than a decade ago after being convicted on drug and money laundering charges, is accused of trafficking cocaine. On Friday, he was charged with one count of cocaine import conspiracy for allegedly smuggling cocaine since 2023.
When Gardiner was rescued from the plane crash, he was found with a brown paper bag containing approximately $30,000 in Bahamian currency packaged “in a manner consistent with narcotics proceeds,” according to a federal complaint viewed by WSB-TV.
The bag of cash was reportedly labeled with the name of a Bahamian politician. The politician’s name was described in court documents only as “Politician-1.”
Federal prosecutors allege the politician had previously been linked to a large cocaine shipment from Colombia.
According to a court document filed May 14 in the Southern District of New York, Gardiner met with the politician in October 2024 at the Bahamian Parliament in Nassau to talk about a deal involving some 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.
It alleged that the politician “could provide security for the planned cocaine shipment” and was introduced to an unnamed suspect as a “future associate.”
Gardiner’s attorney denied the allegations. “While (we) are still investigating the allegations in the Government’s Complaint, we maintain our client’s innocence and look forward to aggressively defending against any charges put forth in a future indictment,” his attorney said in a statement to Fox35.
Gardiner’s next court appearance is set for May 21 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Political opposition leaders in the Bahamas are demanding an investigation into possible ties between government officials and international drug trafficking organizations.
The allegations are the latest blow to the Bahamas, whose police commissioner resigned in December 2024 after a sergeant and two officers were indicted in what the U.S. Justice Department at the time called “a massive cocaine conspiracy enabled by corrupt Bahamian government officials.”
Michael Pintard, leader of the opposition Free National Movement party, said Monday that he does not believe the Bahamas’ prime minister Philip Davis, who secured reelection the day of the plane crash, will hold anyone accountable.
“We issued warnings about the close relationship between members of this administration and characters of interest to police locally and internationally,” Pintard said.
Latrae Rahming, spokesman for the office of the prime minister, said the government is taking the matter “extremely seriously.”
“The position of the Government of The Bahamas remains wherever wrongdoing is established, any person involved will be held accountable without fear or favor, and the chips will fall where they may,” a statement read.
Local law enforcement is launching its own inquiry and the government will reach out to U.S. officials to seek the sharing of information and obtain any available evidence, the statement added, noting they had received no official information identifying any public official related to the case.
“The position of the Government of The Bahamas remains wherever wrongdoing is established, any person involved will be held accountable without fear or favor, and the chips will fall where they may,” the statement read.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Coleman alleged in court filings that multiple drug trafficking organizations are ferrying loads “under the protection of local officials” in the Bahamas.
He alleged that the suspected drug trafficker owns a business he uses to “bid on Bahamian government-issued construction contracts and launder his narcotics trafficking proceeds.”
Dr. Duane Sands, chairman of the Free National Movement party, also called for an investigation. “The Bahamian people are entitled to know,” he told The Nassau Guardian. “The heart and soul of our country are at stake.”
The dramatic case emerged after the twin-engine Beechcraft BE30 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean during a short flight between islands in the Bahamas.
Officials said the aircraft departed Marsh Harbour Airport en route to Grand Bahama International Airport before experiencing trouble. The pilot declared an emergency, but communication with air traffic control was later lost.
Investigators are examining possible engine failure after the aircraft reportedly lost steering capability and continued flying forward until crashing into the water. Pilot Ian Nixon told CBS News he lost both engines, communications systems and avionics before the crash.
“Basically, lost my navigation, all radios – flying over 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Nixon said. “I did my best. I had a lot of stuff going on in the aircraft – just trying to get that under control.”
