By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff ReporterBUFFALO, New York:
JAMAICA CONTINUES to be the leading transhipment point in the Caribbean for cocaine coming from South America en route to the United States, an international report on the drug trade has concluded.
The International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, compiled by the US government, further estimates that 100 metric tonnes of cocaine are transhipped through Jamaica annually, with approximately 70 per cent destined for the US, and the remainder for the United Kingdom. It said the majority of the cocaine comes from Colombia.
Last year, police in Jamaica seized a record 3,000 kilograms of the narcotics, according to information from the head of the Narcotics Department, Senior Superintendent Carl Williams who said it was the most cocaine seized in the country's history.
Despite the many drug busts by law enforcement officers in Jamaica, the report said, the police did not arrest any significant drug dealers, although the government implemented measures to improve the capability of identifying, apprehending and prosecuting traffickers and dismantling their organisations.
The report stressed that corruption continues to undermine law enforcement and judicial efforts against drug-related crimes in Jamaica, and that this remained a major barrier to more effective counter-narcotics strategies.
Among its recommendations to strengthen border security, the US Government said Jamaica needs to intensify and focus its law enforcement efforts along its entire coastline as well as to move towards even greater international co-operation.
The US said it will continue to provide technical assistance and training to help the island deliver on drug interdictions, and will also work closely with the police and public prosecutors to identify, investigate and prosecute the big drug bosses.
The report further stated that the government should revise its drug legislation to provide more adequate penalties for drug trafficking.
It also said the full implementation of the Corruption Prevention Act should strengthen the government's ability to counter official corruption.
Members of the US Coast Guard have already visited Jamaica, inspected its ports of entry and have since submitted a report outlining the weaknesses, a senior official told The Gleaner.
