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Jamaica’s effort to tackle the perennial problem of drug-trafficking in her waters will be getting a much
needed boost from Britain’s Royal Navy.
Come early next week, Her Majesty’s Ship Lancaster, which is currently docked at the Kingston Harbour, will set out in search of drug-runners, Commander Steve Moorhouse told reporters who were given a tour of the 400-foot-long vessel on Friday.
Moorhouse described the effort as a “strengthening of bonds” with Jamaica and said that the exercise is a joint-effort with a number of countries — including the United States of America — to “stop the flow of narcotics” in the region.
Highlighting the benefits of having such a vessel in the drug fight, Moorhouse said that his ship, during an exercise in the eastern Caribbean recently, inter-cepted a yacht and go-fast boat carrying a “sizeable amount” of ganja and cocaine.
He said that five people were arrested in that incident, but declined further details about the operation.
The ship, which is equipped with two 20-foot speedboats and a multi-purpose Lynx helicopter, will end its tour in December, Lieutenant Oliver Bekier told reporters.
The authorities have reported an increase in the quantity of narcotics seized in Jamaican waters since the start of the year. In all of 2012 some 5,713 pounds of marijuana was intercepted by Jamaica’s Marine Police. Up to July this year, the Marine Police had already seized 5,908 pounds of ganja and 44 high-end boats
