 Turner was witness to the sun setting on some of the last parts of the British Empire.In 1982 Turner was appointed Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands.The islands were being used as a refuelling point for light aircraft plying the illegal supply route of narcotics from South America to the United States and, in conjunction with the American Drug Enforcement Administration, he played a key role in disrupting this traffic, and his success in this activity resulted in death threats being made against him, after which armed bodyguards were required for his protection.