The movement restrictions and ban on tourist arrival, imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, on the picturesque Saint Martin s Island have come as a blessing for a few public representatives and their accomplices.
Taking advantage of lax monitoring of the administration during the ongoing second wave of the pandemic, at least three local public representatives have been doing brisk business by openly selling crushed corals, extracted from the nature, to hotels operating on the country s lone coral island.
In their bid to cash in on the burgeoning demand for accommodations on the island during normal times, the criminals are operating a protection racket that controls the illegal trade of construction materials, which are prohibited on St Martin s.