Jamaicans arrested in ongoing cocaine case

Customs and Border Control Agency officer

(CNS): Six months after authorities seized over four pounds of cocaine at Owen Roberts International Airport, two Jamaican nationals living in the Cayman Islands have been arrested on drug charges; one has also been arrested for the possession of an unlicensed firearm. According to a release from the Customs and Border Control (CBC) Agency, the men, aged 36 and 40, were arrested on Wednesday, 8 May, on suspicion of conspiracy to import cocaine. Both CBC and Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers then carried out searches at two separate homes in George Town; in one they found a loaded gun hidden in a kitchen appliance.

One of the two men was then arrested for possession of that weapon, and a vehicle believed to belong to one of them was also seized.

“Our officers are ever vigilant in protecting our country from the importation of illicit drugs and weapons at our controls, but also ever focused on the domestic distribution network that moves illicit drugs and weapons from their point of import to retail,” CBC Director Charles Clifford said. “With our enhanced intelligence and risk management strategic approach, we will investigate and prosecute any criminal individuals involved in smuggling attempts.”

Assistant Director of the CBC Narcotics Enforcement Team Tina Campbell said the importance of the relationships among local law enforcement cannot be overstated when it comes to dealing with drug smuggling.

“Our partnerships with the RCIPS and other agencies in interdiction efforts continue to push us all to new heights as we work to achieve our mutual mission of ridding our communities of dangerous drugs and criminals,” she said.

This investigation began in November last year, when a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession and importation of cocaine after arriving on a Cayman Airways flight from Kingston, Jamaica. The drugs were said to have been concealed in food product boxes.

Following the arrest of the suspect, the drugs were field tested by customs officers at the airport and were found to be positive for cocaine.

There has been no confirmation from the CBC or police whether the first man was ever charged.