Nelson visits Jamaicans in Cuban prison

Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson yesterday visited Jamaicans imprisoned at La Condesa Prison in Cuba.

The minister was accompanied by permanent secretary in the ministry, Dianne McIntosh; Jamaica Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Antony Anderson; and Police Commissioner Owen Ellington.

Eighteen Jamaicans are being held in the Cuban prison primarily for drug offences.

They are serving sentences of varying lengths.

Nelson and his team have been in Cuba since Wednesday.

The minister signed two agreements which are aimed at helping to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships to ensure effective cross-border efforts in combating drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime.

The minister's visit came in the wake of the recognition that there is a growing number of illicit drugs and weapons-trafficking groups using the Cuban and Jamaican maritime and airspace to move drugs and firearms in and out of Jamaica, Haiti, and The Bahamas.

Since 2006, the Jamaican and Cuban authorities have provided mutual support in the identification, tracking, and apprehension of Jamaicans involved in the trafficking of illicit drugs and firearms.