Admidst the rich culturial and religious history, Bahamians also left
a rich legacy of illegal activities.
History has recorded us as a group of illegal people and has supported
its claim with easy variable facts.

Illegal activities dated back to the eighteenth century, in the form of
piracy and privateering.
privateers were given permission by goverment to loot and wreck enemy
ships. Pirates operated on the other side of the law, without sanction from
goverment, they looted enemy and friendly vessels alike. Sometimes purposely luring friendly vessels on the reef to reap the riches she possessed.

When piracy was suppressed with the assistant from Governor Woodes
Rodgers, t6he Bahamian economy was in a slum for a while.
Then came the era of blockade running, where guns and ammunitions were illegally transported to A merica, another boost for our pockets and ego
in the eighteen hundreds.

Blockade running soon came to an end and again Bahamians was in wants. This era was followed by the bootlegging industry in the nineteen hundreds,
which was the illegal sale and transport of rum into the United States. This activity again put Bahamians on eaisy street, prohibition also provided a surplus in revenue for the public treasury and all areas of Nassau saw
improvements. 1933 marked the end of prohibition and the pinch was on again.

THE illegal activities of our people continued with the infamous drug trade
commencing in the 1970's. During the next twenty years the trade
flourished and also the profits from it. My people lived the lives of the
rich and famous. Bahamians lived and they died horrific deaths because of
their involvement in the drug trade.
The words of the late Sir Lynden Pindling rang throught when he said,
'Bahamians will die if they continue to become involved in the drug trade'.
The sale and transhipment of drugs is now on a downward spiral due to
the intervention of law agency and again bahamians are experiencing a
financial low and the pinch is on again.