Chang discusses illegal gun flow from US to JA with State Dept officials

The flow of illegal guns and ammunition from the United States to Jamaica figured prominently in the discussions between National Security Minister Horace Chang and officials of the US State Department in Washington last week.

Speaking at a reception hosted by Jamaica’s Ambassador to the US Audrey Marks in Washington, Chang said the discussions come as Jamaica seeks to bolster its national security architecture and the US indicating its willingness to play a greater role in assisting the Caribbean region in dealing with transnational crimes.

"We are at a stage where we are building out our security architecture to be able to deal effectively with trans-national crimes that is creating havoc with our communities in Jamaica and exercise greater dominion and control over our territorial waters,” the national security minister emphasised.

He said the US is taking a renewed interest in the Caribbean and was using Jamaica as its senior partner in the English-speaking Caribbean. He said Jamaica's strategic position in the region was also a factor.   

"We wanted to ensure that the Caribbean basin was a safe region, and the US was taking a renewed interest so that we can build on our long standing partnership in the region to ensure that we achieve our objectives which would be mutually beneficial," he said.

According to Chang,“the illicit drug trade was damaging the American society, in terms of cocaine and other drugs, and of course, the sale of firearms to our gangsters is still the number one challenge for us in Jamaica”.

Arising from the discussion with the US, which included representatives of the US State Department, the Department of Defence, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Drug Enforcement Agency, Chang said there is to be an in-depth analysis of the United States' position in the Caribbean.

The national security minister, who was on a four-day official visit to Washington, was accompanied by Commissioner of Police Major General Anthony Anderson and was supported by Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States.

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