An air and sea rescue mission has been launched for a former Bermuda resident with a conviction for drug running.

In 2001 American Bradley Richardson received three years in jail, $10,000 in fines and had his yacht confiscated after more than 70 pounds of cannabis was found aboard his craft off the Bahamas.

Richardson, now in his early 40s, is married to a Bermudian and the couple have since relocated to Chatham, Massachusetts.

He set off from that port on the 33-feet, US-registered fishing boat Avaricious on August 22 but failed to return, sparking a rescue search covering nearly 6,000 square miles which began last Thursday.

Bermuda's Harbour Radio has also got involved and is alerting shipping between Bermuda and New England after US Coast Guard aircraft failed to find any sign of Mr. Richardson.

He was last seen fishing some 65 miles from Nantucket last Wednesday.

Conditions are set to worsen with the approaching Tropical Storm Gaston and the US Coast Guard was assessing last night whether to call off the search.

Mr. Richardson was arrested in June, 2001 on board his yacht Sirius off the Bahamas with a consignment of drugs believed to be heading for Bermuda.

His arrest and imprisonment were the result of a joint initiative between the Bermuda Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bahamian Police.