“When there is a problem, we push back,” said Superintendent Jervis Moore, head of the Narcotics Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), at a special internal briefing held at the Narcotics Headquarters in Kingston on Wednesday, June 21.
The division hosted the Minister of National Security, the Honourable Dr. Horace Chang and Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe. Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, who manages the Crime and Security Portfolio and representatives of the Jamaica Police Federation were also a part of the visiting delegation.
In his address, Superintendent Moore outlined that the revamp in the recruiting and deployment process within the JCF continues to play a significant role in the increase in the number of drug-related arrests at the ports.
“We have done significant work and the figures are being reflected,” said Moore.
The Narcotics Division arrested two persons at the Sangster International Airport between January 1 and June 19 last year in comparison to 12 for the same period in 2023. The latest arrest was 49-year-old Gairy Graham, a delivery driver of Robinson Town in Thornton, St. Elizabeth on Thursday, June 08. Graham was charged with several breaches of the Drug Act after he was found in possession of cocaine valued over JMD 28 million.
At the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, seven persons were arrested from January to June in 2022 in comparison to eight this year. Additionally, a comparison of the first six months of the year shows an increase from 206 cocaine seizures to 1,610 in 2023. Ganja seizures for the same period, however, showed a slight reduction from 9002 to 8771.
Forty-one rounds of ammunition were seized between January and June of 2022 compared to 82 for the same period in 2023. Additionally, one firearm was seized last year compared to four so far in 2023.
SP Moore said the division continues to work alongside the Financial Investigations Division (FID) to create a dent in financial crimes. The teams have collectively seized over JMD 6 billion in 2022 and are working relentlessly to rid the nation’s streets of persons found in breach of the law.
