Though drug-trafficking allegations have dominated headlines in recent months, 
Premier Ralph O’Neal reminded listeners Tuesday that smuggling contraband through the Virgin Islands is nothing new. During the 1920s, when Prohibition was in force in the United States, the one or two police officers assigned to this territory struggled to keep up with US-bound bootleggers, he said.
Just a few minutes after he finished speaking, a uniformed police officer boarded a boat docked in VI waters, took a bottle of wine from a United Kingdom woman on board, and poured the contents into the sea. The officer was assisting Jenny McCleary, wife of Governor Boyd McCleary, as she gave a Champagne christening to two new “go-fast” police boats: the Defender and the Swift Justice.
The procurement process for the vessels started about two years ago, said Police Superintendent Alwin James.
See the Oct. 6, 2011 edition for full coverage.