US doubles funding to narco bureau in Jamaica

The United States (US) has doubled funding allocated to the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau in Jamaica as it re-emphasises its commitment to stem the flow of illegal guns and drugs entering the island.

The disclosure was made by Barbara Feinstein, US deputy assistant secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, who is part of a US delegation on the island for the second US-Jamaica Strategic Dialogue – the first since COVID-19 lockdowns.

The move, she said, would help to curb Jamaica’s chronic problem of crime and violence.

“Crime reduction is an enormous priority for the Government of Jamaica, and it is an enormous priority for the government of the United States,” Feinstein told reporters at the US Embassy in Kingston on Tuesday.

Feinstein said the funding would help combating gang violence, with its benefits ranging from improving case management in the judicial system to the interdiction of guns and narcotics,” she said.

The International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau budget has been increased to US$3.5 million for Jamaica and US$10 million for programmes across the Caribbean.

Among some of the other areas examined by the US officials and local government representatives were renewable energy, global warming, lottery scamming, and the inflow of illegal guns into Jamaica from the US.

Feinstein’s sentiments came hours after the Government of Jamaica imposed states of emergency spanning six parishes: St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, Clarendon, St Catherine, and parts of Kingston and St Andrew. The SOEs follow a rise in serious crimes, including murder, which has increased by 6.8 per cent when compared to 2021. Up to November 13, there were 1,360 reported murders.

Illegal guns were linked to most deaths.

Feinstein conceded on Tuesday that there is still much more the US, the top firearm-producing nation, can do to staunch the flow of guns entering Jamaica and the wider Caribbean from its mainland.

“We recognise that illicit gun/weapon trafficking is an enormous problem here in Jamaica and in the broader region and that the United States needs to do its part,” she said, noting that the US has been providing support for law enforcement to interdict and trace such firearms.

“To that end, in the past year, we saw the passage of the first meaningful legislation to attack gun violence in quite some time, and that legislation closes down some of the loopholes that enable weapons trafficking. In addition, President Biden, through executive action, has also cracked down on so-called ghost guns, and these are kits where you can just take components of them and put them together later.”

Ghost gun kits are not usually marked with serial numbers.

However, Feinstein said that in order to track ghost guns, the US has imposed a serial number mandate in order to drive enforcement.

“If any of these guns are sold, there will be penalties for anyone who doesn’t include the serial numbers,” the US official said.

The delegation reportedly met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other government officials on Tuesday.

Feinstein said the talks were aimed at strengthening strategic partnerships between the two countries.

She said the US has also embarked on discussions with civil-society groups to see how best they can reach at-risk youths.

“This includes assistance with family-based counselling and cognitive and behavioural therapy,” Feinstein said.