Rocky Point protesters cry foul

The grandmother of a Rocky Point businessman who has been detained in the wake of the crash-landing of a mystery plane in the coastal Clarendon community has appealed to political sentiment in calling for intervention from the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.

Placard-bearing supporters of Nicholas Graham, who owns and operates the White Sands Seafood Restaurant, mounted a noisy demonstration in the south-central Jamaica community and described his detention as unjust. He is currently fighting a cocaine-related charge.

Roma Heath, his grandmother, believes that the prime minister and the member of parliament should reward their electoral support.

WATCH: Rocky Point Protest

“Mi calling Mr Holness, Pearnel Charles Jr, to come to him district of Rocky Point, where Roma Heath, Labourite, Shower every time. Come assist me right now,” she said, referencing Andrew Holness, the prime minister.

But that plea went unanswered on Tuesday as the Clarendon police conducted house-to-house searches in the hunt for the occupants of the plane that landed in the shallow waters of Rocky Point on Saturday.

Rocky Point is a key node in the drug trans-shipment route between Jamaica and Haiti as well as other countries.

Boisterous protesters insisted on Tuesday that Graham was innocent of suspicion of harbouring the two men who were reportedly seen fleeing from the downed plane. His grandmother was among the most vocal supporters.

“Weh dem searching looking fah? Ganja, coke, dead man, living man, woman? Weh dem looking fah dis hours a day?” she questioned angrily.

Graham’s mother Dorette Johnson also expressed anger at the police and accused them of stalking her son. She claimed that he has been a target of the police ever since he opened his business five years ago.

“Until tidey day, police nuh stop come terrorise him. Him a most dis, him a most dat,” she said.

Commander of the Clarendon Police Division, Senior Superintendent Glenford Miller, confirmed that Graham had been taken into custody and had been handed over to Kingston authorities.

“The narcotics team took him back to his premises to conduct a search today,” Miller told The Gleaner.

“If our leads suggest that we take someone into custody, then we will do the necessary investigations,” he added.

– Olivia Brown contributed to this story.