Jonathan Eric Gardiner, one of 11 people rescued in waters off Florida after the plane they were in crashed last Tuesday, was arrested by US law enforcement in connection with a federal drug investigation, US media outlets reported.
According to reports, Gardiner, also known as Player, was found with three phones, $295 in cash, and a bag with $30,000 in bulk Bahamian currency, allegedly labeled with the name of a Bahamian politician.
According to officials, the plane Gardiner was on went down on election day, May 12.
The plane, a Beechcraft King Air 300, departed Leonard Thompson International Airport in Marsh Harbour, Abaco en route to the Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The flight crashed off the coast of Vero Beach, Florida.
The survivors were later rescued by the US Coast Guard.
Gardiner is described by US prosecutors as an international narcotics trafficker based in The Bahamas, who allegedly moves large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through The Bahamas into the United States.
Multiple US outlets report that Gardiner was under investigation for some time, and that he was reportedly involved in moving nine kilos of cocaine into the US in February 2023.
Gardiner is being detained in Florida pending a preliminary hearing, which is set for May 21.
His attorney, Carlos Fleites, told WESH 2 News in Florida, “We maintain our client’s innocence and intend to aggressively defend the charges against him.”
Credits: The Nassau Guardian
