The police have launched a manhunt for a Bahamian national who escaped during a police-coastguard operation on the north coast on the weekend.

Two other Bahamians were held during the operation and two guns - an M-14 and an Intratec 9mm sub-machine gun - were taken from the vessel in which they were travelling. The men are to be slapped with charges by midweek.

"They are part of a syndicate of Bahamians that we have been keeping our eye on for some time and we know that they are linked to the guns-for-drugs trade," spokesman for Operation Kingfish, Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, told The Gleaner yesterday.

The men were held one mile off the coast and brought to land by the authorities when one of the Bahamians managed to escape.

Multiple breaks

The two men in custody will be charged for breaches of the Immi-gration Act and the Firearms Act.

The men's capture comes as part of the law enforcement's move to put more emphasis on criminals who have been using the north coast for the trade of guns and narcotics. Eleven men have been arrested since Thursday in different incidents along the coast.

"When we strike, we will be striking very hard," Llewellyn said.