This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 KINGSTON 002702 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL/LP (KBROWN), STATE FOR INL, WHA/CAR 
(BENT),JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS AND NDDS, TREASURY FOR 
FINCEN, DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA 2005 INCSR - PART I 
 
 
The Drugs and Chemical Control section of the 2005-2006 INCSR 
follows. 
 
¶I. Summary: 
 
Jamaica is a major transit point for South American cocaine 
en route to the United States and also the largest Caribbean 
producer and exporter of cannabis. The Government of Jamaica 
(GOJ) has a National Drug Control Strategy in place that 
covers both supply and demand reduction. During 2005, the GOJ 
maintained existing counter-narcotics law enforcement and 
interdiction programs and took several steps to strengthen 
its counter-narcotics law enforcement capability. The GOJ 
introduced a new Customs arrival form in August 2003 that 
includes a currency declaration and a new immigration form in 
October 2004 that captures information in the border 
management/migration system that was implemented in November 
¶2004. The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) purchased 
closed-circuit television systems and non-intrusive 
inspection equipment to strengthen security at Jamaica's 
seaports. The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Narcotics 
Vetted Unit took significant steps to increase its evidential 
intelligence gathering capabilities in investigating major 
narcotics and crimes figures. Cooperation between U.S. and 
GOJ law enforcement agencies is considered excellent in most 
areas. The GOJ has taken steps to protect itself against drug 
trafficking and other organized crime, and has made 
significant strides towards intensifying and focusing its law 
enforcement efforts towards more effectively disrupting the 
trafficking of large amounts of cocaine in Jamaica and 
throughout Jamaica's territorial waters. 
 
The GOJ commenced several multi-national counter drug 
initiatives in early 2004 and later established Operation 
Kingfish to collaborate with their international partners and 
international law enforcement officers to target significant 
narco-traffickers and their organizations.  These efforts 
have borne significant success in the form of arrests and the 
dismantling of significant gangs.  These efforts are expected 
to have significant new developments and results in 2006. 
However, areas of concern include the prosecution of 
significant drug traffickers operating in Jamaica, increasing 
the amount of Jamaican drug seizures, and eradication. The 
U.S. will continue to provide equipment, technical 
assistance, and training to assist the GOJ to strengthen its 
counter-narcotics capabilities. Jamaica is a party to the 
1988 UN Drug Convention and during 2005 made progress towards 
meeting the goals and objectives of the Convention. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
Jamaica's 638 miles of coastline and over 110 unmonitored 
airstrips make it a major transit country for cocaine 
destined for the U.S. and European (primarily UK) markets as 
well as the largest producer and exporter of cannabis in the 
Caribbean. Jamaica is not a significant regional financial 
center, tax haven or offshore banking center, but with no 
effective legislation in place, some money laundering does 
occur, primarily through the purchase of real assets, such as 
houses and cars. Cash couriers are also a significant 
concern. Jamaica is neither a source of precursor or 
essential chemicals used in the production of illicit 
narcotics nor a significant conduit for the transit of 
precursor chemicals. A lack of regulations makes Jamaica 
vulnerable to the illegal diversion of such chemicals. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2005 
 
Despite Jamaica's scarce resources, the GOJ signed a contract 
worth more than USD 29,000,000 for the construction of three 
42-meter patrol boats and the repair of one 37.5-meter 
vessel. A number of seized go-fast boats and one fixed wing 
aircraft have been placed into service with the Jamaica 
Defense Force (JDF) Coast Guard and JDF Air Wing respectively 
for counter-narcotics operations. The PAJ procured and 
installed more than USD 21 million in non-intrusive 
inspection equipment, including mobile gamma imaging 
machines, x-ray machines for high-density cargo, and pallet 
machine and closed-circuit television surveillance systems 
for the Kingston and Montego Bay ports. Electronic access 
controls should be in place shortly. PAJ also hired expert 
technical advisors to operate the equipment and provide 
oversight. Customs continued to work on the implementation of 
its modernization plan, which, among other things, calls for 
the vetting of Customs officers.  Lack of resources has 
hampered progress.  The Contraband Enforcement Team has 
experienced a high staff attrition rate.  Currently their 
staff has been reduced from 43 to 32 personnel. The GOJ and 
the Narcotics Affairs Section has started the process to 
refurbish an existing building at the Norman Manley 
International Airport, Kingston to house the Airport 
Interdiction Task Force, which will be comprised of Jamaican, 
US, UK and Canadian law enforcement personnel.  The task 
force will focus on narcotics trafficking and illegal 
migrants.  The refurbishing work should be completed by early 
¶2006.  The GOJ continued to fund the operating expenses for 
the Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Center. 
Jamaica continues to work to implement the provisions of its 
2002-2007 National Anti-Drug Plan, which addresses both 
supply and demand reduction. 
 
Policy Initiatives: GOJ officials publicly state the 
government's commitment to combating illegal drugs and 
drug-related crimes. Similar to a 2002 initiative, the 
Minister of National Security unveiled in late 2004 a 
broad-based operation "Kingfish", designed to attack the 
center of gravity of drug trafficking and criminal 
organizations and individuals and to stem the rising crime 
rate and gang violence in Jamaica. This operation supported 
by the U.S., UK, and Canada leaves no potential target group 
untouched.  Several high-profile gangs have been disrupted 
and its leaders arrested through the work of Operation 
Kingfish.  The Ministry of National Security (MNS) also 
placed a JCF officer in Miami at the Office of the Florida 
Department of Law Enforcement to enhance cooperation on drug 
matters. The GOJ has drafted and tabled several legislative 
measures such as the Proceeds of Crime Act, a Plea Bargaining 
Bill all designed to rid the country of drug traffickers, and 
enhance the capabilities of law enforcement to successfully 
prosecute criminal organizations. These legislative measures 
are at various stages of legislative process.  The Terrorism 
Prevention Act has been passed. 
 
The National Intelligence Bureau has been in existence for 
more than two years and has the mandate to coordinate 
intelligence for the Jamaica Constabulary Force.  However to 
date the unit has neither received support nor staffing from 
the GOJ to fulfill its mandate.  A system has been 
implemented to vet the officers and staff.  This process is 
incomplete. 
Accomplishments: Collaborative efforts between local and 
international law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of 
several drug traffickers in Jamaica and the U.S.  which 
resulted in the dismantling of their organizations. 
Business and personal assets such as motor vehicles, cash and 
property, were also seized.   However, until the Proceeds of 
Crime legislation has been passed, the GOJ will not be able 
to benefit from the seized assets.  Other collaborative 
efforts (i.e. operations with JIATF/South) have resulted in 
large seizures of cocaine and vessels used to transport 
illicit substances to the U.S., causing an increase in the 
price of cocaine and increases in cultivation and export of 
cannabis to fill the void. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts: Both the JCF and JDF assign a high 
priority to counter-narcotics missions. The JDF Air Wing and 
Coast Guard are actively involved in maritime interdiction 
efforts. The JCF Narcotics Division is a competent and 
respected unit. The Narcotics Division is continuing its 
multi-year restructuring and expansion program, which will 
increase its staffing to 250 officers over the medium term 
and to work closely with DEA in investigating significant 
narcotics trafficking and money laundering organizations in 
Jamaica. 
 
Corruption: Corruption continues to undermine law enforcement 
and judicial efforts against drug-related crime in Jamaica, 
and is a major barrier to more effective counter-narcotic 
actions. Jamaica is a party to the Inter-American Convention 
against Corruption and signed the consensus agreement on 
establishing a mechanism to evaluate compliance with the 
Convention. The GOJ does not encourage or facilitate the 
illicit production or distribution of narcotics or 
psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the 
laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. The 
GOJ has a policy of investigating credible reports of public 
corruption and prosecutes individuals who are linked by 
reliable evidence to drug-related activity but has not 
prosecuted any senior GOJ officials for facilitating the 
illicit production or distribution of such substances, or the 
laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. The 
JDF has a "zero tolerance" policy on involvement in 
drug-related activity by its members. The JCF conducts drug 
testing of recruits at their initial physical exam, but does 
not have a random drug testing policy. Vetting of special 
units is conducted but only on a voluntary basis due to 
strong resistance to mandatory vetting by the police union. 
 
Agreements and Treaties: Jamaica has a mutual legal 
assistance treaty (MLAT) and an extradition treaty with the 
U.S. Both countries utilize the MLAT to combat illegal 
narcotics trafficking and other crimes. The U.S. and Jamaica 
have a reciprocal asset sharing agreement that provides for 
the sharing of forfeited assets where law enforcement 
cooperation has made possible the forfeiture of proceeds from 
criminal activity. Jamaica is a party to the Inter-American 
Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. A 
U.S.-Jamaica maritime counter narcotics cooperation agreement 
came into force in 1998; expanded Shiprider provisions were 
negotiated in July 2003 and has now been fully implemented. 
In September 2003, Jamaica ratified the UN Convention against 
Transnational Organized Crime and two of its protocols 
(migrant smuggling and firearms). Jamaica is a party to the 
1961 UN Single Convention, the 1972 Protocol amending the 
Single Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic 
Substances, and the 1988 UN Drug Convention. On October 15, 
the GOJ signed, but has not yet ratified, the Caribbean 
Regional Maritime Agreement. 
 
Cultivation/Production: Jamaica is the largest Caribbean 
producer and exporter of cannabis. There is no accurate 
estimate of the amount of cannabis under cultivation or the 
number of harvests per year. Lack of crop survey data and 
baseline figures makes it impossible to quantify the effect 
of GOJ eradication efforts on the total crop. The level of 
marijuana production has changed from large hectares to 
smaller plots nested in hilly and rocky terrain that proves 
to be inaccessible to vehicular traffic. A new strain of 
marijuana maturing to approximately three feet was recently 
discovered in Westmoreland. Very sophisticated cultivation 
methods, including portable irrigation systems, generators, 
floodlights etc, make the fields difficult to locate from the 
air. As a matter of policy, Jamaica does not use herbicides 
to eradicate cannabis nor does it have the capability. Manual 
cutting is the primary eradication method. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit: Trafficking of cocaine throughout and 
around Jamaica has been significantly reduced.  The Drug 
Enforcement Administration has estimated that there has been 
a significant reduction in the number of costal interceptors 
transiting the Jamaican waters.  This reduction is attributed 
to the arrests of the major Jamaican drug traffickers since 
March 2004 on extradition warrants and the continuing 
coordinated multi-national counter drug enforcement 
initiatives.  These initiatives have led to the arrests of 
Jamaicans, Colombians and Bahamian traffickers, which have at 
least temporary disrupted cocaine trafficking through the 
central Caribbean. Cocaine is still being 
smuggled/transshipped from Colombia's north coast (but in 
smaller quantities) by major Colombian and Jamaican 
trafficking groups into and out of Jamaica primarily via 
maritime vessels (go-fast vessels), containerized cargo and 
to a lesser extent via private aircraft. Narcotics 
trafficking groups continue to utilize private aircraft to 
transport drugs from Jamaica to the Bahamas and then on to 
the United States. With one hundred and fourteen (114) 
identified landing strips/fields in Jamaica, these 
clandestine activities frequently occur undetected throughout 
the island. Smugglers also use concealment in commercial 
shipments, and couriers who board airlines or cruise ships 
with ingested or concealed drugs. 
 
Domestic Programs (Demand Reduction): Cannabis is the drug 
most frequently abused in Jamaica. However, the use of both 
powder cocaine and crack cocaine still continues to increase, 
even though the availability of both forms of the drug on the 
island has decreased. Consumption of cocaine, heroin and 
cannabis is illegal. The possession and use of ecstasy (MDMA) 
is currently controlled under the Food and Drug Act and is 
subject to relatively light penalties. There is an effort 
underway to have ecstasy included under the Dangerous Drug 
Act. Jamaica has several active demand reduction programs 
including visible projects of the Ministry of Health/National 
Council on Drug Abuse and the NGO, Addiction Alert, that 
receive modest U.S. funding support. The UNODC works directly 
with the GOJ and NGOs to improve demand reduction efforts. 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Bilateral Cooperation. The U.S. and Jamaica cooperate in a 
variety of areas, including maritime interdiction, the 
apprehension of fugitives, and initiative relating to 
community-police relations. U.S. law enforcement agencies 
note that cooperation with the GOJ is generally good and is 
steadily improving. 
 
The JDF Coast Guard (JDFCG) engages in cooperative 
operational planning with the U.S. Coast Guard on an 
intermittent basis associated with joint military operations 
in or near Jamaica's territorial waters. During 2005, Jamaica 
participated in six deployments of Operation Rip Tide, a 
continuing U.S./Jamaica/Cayman Islands/UK effort to deny 
smugglers the use of maritime smuggling routes into Jamaica 
and the Cayman Islands. The bilateral maritime counter 
narcotics agreement was successfully exercised on several 
occasions during 2005. In February, the U.S. and Jamaica 
signed a protocol to the bilateral agreement signed by the US 
and GOJ to provide increased flexibility to third party 
nations to operate within Jamaican jurisdictional areas 
subject to certain guidelines continues to enhance 
operational efficiency, technical assistance and logistical 
support, as well as all areas of maritime safety. 
 
The JDF currently lacks fixed wing projection capabilities 
but improved their off shore capabilities when they acquired 
two of three forty two meter county class vessels built by 
DAMEN ship builders in Holland.  The third vessel will arrive 
in 2006.  One of the three 44-foot interceptors donated in 
2003 is operational, and deployed on the north coast of 
Jamaica.  The JDFCG has engaged DAMEN to improve the 
serviceability of all three 44-foot interceptors. One forty 
foot SeaArk dauntless patrol vessel is being retrofitted in 
Miami and is expected to be delivered in February 2006. 
Between 2004 and 2005 the JFDCG assigned two crew members to 
the Coast Guard Caribbean Support Tender and in addition 
embarked the first officer for training. In  2005. two new CG 
ratings were attached for a year long tour aboard the USCGC 
Gentian. The Gentian delivered one refurbished Eduardono, a 
38-foot high-speed pursuit boat, to the JDFCG. 
 
In 2005, the U.S. funded participation by Jamaican police, 
immigration, customs, defense force and other personnel in 
several in-country and regional training courses. The U.S. 
continues to fund an advisor to the National Intelligence 
Bureau and a Law Enforcement Development Advisor to assist 
the JCF's strategic planning and reform efforts. Members of 
the highly effective Jamaica Fugitive Apprehension Team 
(JFAT), with guidance from U.S. Marshals, received 
specialized training, equipment and operational support. The 
JFAT is actively working on over 210 fugitive cases. Since 
January 2005, twelve arrests have been made.  There have been 
5 cases of extradition and 3 persons have been deported to 
the United States.  There are 18 defendants in custody 
awaiting extradition to the U.S. 
The U.S.-funded International Office of Migration (IOM) 
Border Control Project, designed to strengthen the GOJ's 
ability to monitor the flow of persons into and through 
Jamaica, was officially launched on November 1, 2004. This 
pilot project, which has modernized the computer 
infrastructure at the ports of entry, is now fully 
functional. USAID is continuing with a program of assistance 
to the JCF in community-police relations that will focus on 
strategies to reduce crime and violence. 
 
The Road Ahead: The GOJ has taken steps to protect itself 
against drug trafficking and other types of organized crime. 
However, the GOJ needs to further intensify its law 
enforcement efforts and enhance international cooperation. 
The U.S. will continue to provide technical assistance and 
training to assist the GOJ to improve its drug interdiction, 
cannabis eradication, and demand reduction efforts. The U.S. 
will also work closely with the police and public prosecutors 
to enhance the GOJ's ability to identify, investigate, and 
successfully prosecute significant drug traffickers. The USG 
will continue to provide assistance and training to the JDFCG 
to strengthen Jamaica's maritime interdiction efforts. The 
USG is committed to on-going support for the JCF Narcotics 
vetted unit, the JFAT and the CET through the provision of 
specialized training and equipment.  In addition, the USG 
will focus on supporting the GOJ in its anti-corruption 
efforts. 
 
Modern anticrime legislation, including passage of all of the 
proposed legislation contained in the 2002 reform package and 
amendments to strengthen the Interception of Communications 
Act, is essential in order to investigate, arrest and 
successfully prosecute drug traffickers and other criminals. 
The passage of a civil asset forfeiture law could materially 
assist GOJ counter-narcotics operations by providing an 
alternate source of vehicles, small boats and aircraft for 
Jamaican law enforcement agencies and the military. The GOJ 
should also revise its drug legislation to provide adequate 
penalties for the trafficking and use of internationally 
controlled psychotropic substances and substances whose 
molecules have similar chemical properties. The USG is 
willing to provide technical assistance to the GOJ as it 
works to strengthen existing laws and draft new legislation. 
 
¶V. Statistics 
 
Seizures       unit    2005        2004         2003 
 
Cannabis       KG      15,264.37   20,952.14   36,603.60 
Cocaine        KG       142.38      1,735.51    1,619.21 
Crack Cocaine  KG       1,678       3,049       2,663 
Hash Oil       KG      910.49      37.70       1,897.33 
Estacy         Tablets 13,070      133,032      Nil 
 
Eradication 
 
Cannabis      HA       391        411.64        425.6 
Cocaine Labs destroyed   nil       nil            1 
Nurseries    Units      606        403           279 
Seedlings    Units   6,552,000 5,004,930      3,711,975 
Seeds        KG       246.32     15,304,950     239.35 
 
Arrests 
 
Total Arrest       5,766        6,319         6,044 
Foreigners           203          294           303 
JOHNSON