COLOMBIAN COKE LINK-UP

A Westmoreland gang believed to be heavily linked to lottery scamming is at the centre of Monday’s major cocaine bust in Kingston.

A senior lawman with impeccable knowledge of the investigation told The Gleaner on Tuesday that the 140 parcels of drug, with an estimated street value of more than $300 million, were being shipped from Colombia to Whitehouse in the parish.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, the drug bust was intelligence driven on the part of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

Three men arrested in connection with the find, the source disclosed, are believed to have transported marijuana to the South American country, whose thriving illicit drug trade dates back to the 1970s.

The source also said that the 28-foot vessel in which the men were travelling is registered in Jamaica and had been under the surveillance of the JDF for some time.

However, it has not yet been determined who owns the vessel, which, despite being registered in Jamaica, could be owned by a foreigner or international company based on the policies of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica.

The source told The Gleaner that the window of opportunity to intercept the vessel while it was headed to Colombia was left open, signalling that what the Jamaicans were transporting was immaterial in comparison to the cargo that was expected to be brought back.

It was intercepted southeast of the Pedro Banks.

The men are believed to be part of a gang that has been a major contributor to the bloodletting in Westmoreland, which, up to April 9, recorded 42 murders and 32 shootings.

The murder figure represents a 133 per cent increase year-on-year, while there was no change in data on shootings.

Westmoreland has grabbed the spotlight in recent years with an increase in homicides, placing it in the top five murderous parishes for 2021.

Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang in January said that four major gangs are at the root of most major crimes in the parish, two of which are located in the capital.

These gangs, the source said, have been competing for the “significantly reduced” spoils gained through lottery scamming in the west.

Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit, Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, told The Gleaner on Tuesday that the vessel was intercepted by the Coast Guard on April 6 and initially turned out to be a “rescue operation”.

She said that the three men pretended to be fishermen in distress who needed support, telling the Coast Guardsmen that they were having challenges with their vessel.

Lindsay said that the men were assisted to land and the boat towed.

Further checks by the Coast Guard revealed that the men did not have the requisite licence for fishing.

She said that the marine police were notified and the men charged for breaches of the Fisheries Act. They are due to appear in court on May 11.

An initial search of the boat at that time yielded nothing.

“It was the second search of the boat that led to a secret compartment where the drugs were found,” the senior superintendent said.

But according to the Gleaner source, the vessel was searched a second time because of an instruction from the JDF, which had indicated that the hull of the boat was “too hollow”.

In a press statement on Monday, the JDF said that the find was as a result of its long-standing partnerships with local and international partners.

“Today’s find is evidence of the dedication of the sailors and airmen of the Maritime Air and Cyber Command, and our enduring friendship with local and international partners,” Commander Alvin Gayle, acting brigade commander for the Maritime Air and Cyber Command, said.

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