Police Minister Douglas Singh was on a boat that got tangled in the mangroves near the municipal airstrip on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, Police were called in to search the apparently abandoned, unregistered boat and that's when word went out that it was a drug vessel.
Well, the owner of the 26 foot vessell and the man who got it stuck in the mangrove thicket was Damien Chamberlain. He today told us it's all a big misunderstanding. Chamberlain declined an on camera interview but sent a statement to the media today.
Chamberlain says he was returning with friends from St. Georges Caye at around 9 on Saturday night when a combination of bad weather, poor visibility and a steering malfunction caused him to run aground on the mangroves.
No one was injured and the group called a close friend who came out to pick them up. The following morning, Chamberlain dispatched some workmen, hired a tug and accompanied by Singh and other friends, went out himself to supervise the removal of the vessel.
But when he got there, the Police Anti-drug unit was already on the scene and had detained the workmen. Chamberlain reports that they had also searched the boat and removed most of his personal effects.
In his statement Chamberlain says, quote, "No drugs, traces of drugs or any illegal substances were on board so none were found."
Chamberlain adds that Police also released the workmen once he explained what had happened and they took a brief statement. Singh told us he saw the police doing their work and did not get involved.
But the boat was un-registered. Chamberlain says that's because it had just been launched the week before.
Chamberlain told us that the incident is embarrassing to him as a boatman, and he added in his statement that he would have wished it would not become nationwide news.
Singh told us they were returning from a get-together at St. George's Caye.
