The Governor's Office will not say whether Cayman has considered a tethered radar balloon to spot drug-smuggling boats, after ruling on 2 September 2026 that the Freedom of Information Act does not apply. The decision, sent to The Caymanian Journal (TCJ) under reference FOI/119061, neither confirms nor denies that any records exist.

The Office relied on a part of the Act written for "security or intelligence services…gathering intelligence”, a term the Act defines by listing the police, the Special Constabulary, Customs and Border Control, the Prison Service, the Financial Reporting Authority and the Tax Information Authority. The Governor's Office is not on that list.

Two large interceptions are on the record in the past 13 months. On 14 August 2025 the Cayman Islands Coast Guard stopped a vessel in Cayman waters carrying more than 1,500 pounds of suspected ganja and four people, according to a Government release of 19 August 2025. On 29 May 2026 the crew of the police helicopter spotted a vessel "navigating suspiciously" off Grand Cayman's south coast and the Coast Guard recovered 505 pounds of ganja, 10 kilograms of cocaine, smaller amounts of ketamine and MDMA, an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, according to a Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) release of 24 July 2026. In both cases the boats were found by a patrol or a helicopter crew.

Why a balloon

A tethered aerostat is a large unmanned balloon, held to the ground by a cable, carrying a radar. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which flies eight of them from Arizona to Puerto Rico, says in its published fact sheet that each has a radar range of "approximately 200 miles" and that they operate across "extended regions throughout the Caribbean" to detect low-flying aircraft and vessels involved in "illicit smuggling of narcotics and people".

The RCIPS Air Operations Unit describes on its website EC135 helicopter’s, carrying day, low-light and thermal cameras and flying "seven days a week". Its published equipment list includes no radar.

The Government's own National Risk Assessment 2021, published in March 2022, states that "the most prevalent drug imported into the Cayman Islands is marijuana/cannabis from producers in Jamaica via transport by sea" and that interceptions of boats carrying cannabis and smaller amounts of cocaine "are relatively frequent". It rates drug trafficking a "Medium-High" threat. Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton said in the RCIPS release of 24 July 2026 that the May recovery "demonstrates the impact of a major investment in law enforcement capabilities to disrupt the flow of illegal drugs, firearms and ammunition through our islands".

What TCJ asked, and what came back

TCJ e-mailed the request to the Government's FOI address on 17 August 2026. It asked for any records showing whether the Government had "considered, assessed or discussed acquiring, leasing, hosting or using such a system", held talks with "the UK, U.S. or any other government or supplier", obtained "proposals, quotations, feasibility studies or cost estimates", or "considered potential locations or operational uses". It closed: "If no responsive records are held, please confirm this."

The reply came from Lisa Carroll, Information Manager at the Governor's Office, by e-mail on 3 September 2026, with a note apologising that "an earlier email sent to you failed to arrive". She wrote that the request had come to her office "as the Governor is the National Security lead", and continued: "I have considered your application and determined that it cannot be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act, as section 3(5)(b) states that the Act does not apply to the security and intelligence services in relation to their strategic or operational intelligence-gathering activities."

Ms Carroll wrote that defence and internal security are among the Governor's reserved responsibilities, and that for that reason she was "not transferring it to any public authority to respond separately". Because the Head of the Governor's Office had been consulted, she wrote, "an internal review is therefore not possible", and TCJ could appeal to the Ombudsman within 30 days. TCJ has not appealed.

What the Act says

Section 3(1)(aa) of the Freedom of Information Act (2021 Revision) applies the Act to "the Governor's office", but only "subject to subsection (5)". Section 3(5)(b) excludes the "security or intelligence services (as defined in subsection (8))" in relation to "their strategic or operational intelligence-gathering activities". Section 3(8) says the term "includes" the six bodies named above; because it says "includes" rather than "means", the list is not closed, and the letter does not say which body's intelligence-gathering the request was judged to concern.

The Act has a separate exemption, in section 15, for records whose disclosure "would prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Islands". A record withheld under section 15 stays within the Act and the Ombudsman can review the decision. The Governor's Office did not cite section 15. It said the Act did not apply at all.

TCJ asked for "details of any estimated or proposed costs". None was given, and the response did not say whether any cost record is held.