By Lloyd Williams, Senior Associate EditorPOLICE COMMISSIONER Francis Forbes hailed yesterday as "the beginning of some positive results from on-going investigations, some of them a little more than two years old", the announcement at a press briefing at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., of the arrest of more than 50 people from South and Central America and the Caribbean who are accused of drug trafficking and money
laundering.
John Ashcroft, Attorney-General of the United States, and Karen Tandy, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said the arrests were the result of a co-ordinated effort among the United States, Canada, Colombia, Panama, Jamaica and The Bahamas.
The U.S. officials were joined by law enforcement colleagues from those countries participating in the multinational investigation, with Deputy Commissioner Lucius Thomas representing the Jamaica Constabulary.
FACT OF THE MATTER
"The fact of the matter is that the drug trade is crippling Jamaica, as it is crippling many other places in the Caribbean, influencing gun violence and other major crimes," Comm-issioner Forbes said. "Our challenge to the drug dealers is something that has to be kept up at the highest pace that we can. As far as I am aware, the arrests have just begun and we are expected to make quite a lot of arrests in the future, not only here but in many other countries which are connected to the international drug trade and to some of our suspects here.
"The dice is still rolling and there are many more names in the pipeline".
Commissioner Forbes said that each closure brought to light additional information and in many cases led to the commencement of new investigations. "So it's far from over and there are many more persons who are going to be brought to book."
In a news release issued on June 23, the U.S. Justice Department announced the arrest of Elias Cobos-Munoz of Colombia who is reputed to be the head of one of the largest drug trafficking and drug transportation organisations based in Colombia and Jamaica, and more than 50 other high-level traffickers.
EXECUTING ARRESTS
"Over the past several days, agents of the DEA, assisted by their foreign law enforcement counterparts, executed arrest warrants for the members of the Cobos organisation in Colombia, Panama, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the United States and Canada," the Justice Department said. "This series of indictments and related arrests represents the successful culmination of DEA's 'Caribbean Initiative,' a multi-faceted attack on all levels of certain major trafficking organisations operating in the Caribbean corridor."
According to the Justice Department, "Operations 'Busted Manatee' and 'Double Talk' are the result of a 29-month-long international Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation into cocaine and marijuana trafficking, conducted by the DEA and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, working with partners in the countries listed above.
TARGETS OF THE PROBE
The Justice Department noted that the targets of the probe were among those considered 'most responsible' for smuggling illicit drugs into the United States. Operation 'Busted Manatee' focused on the Cobos drug organisation, which "allegedly imported large shipments of cocaine through trans-shipment points in the Caribbean and distributed that cocaine in the Miami area and elsewhere," the Justice Department said. Moreover, "the Cobos organisation allegedly affiliated itself with an organisation headed by Melvin Maycock and Pedro Smith," the department added. "Maycock, Smith and 19 associates were targeted as part of Operation 'Double Talk'."
"One by one, we are dismantling the most dangerous drug cartels that poison our citizens and communities," said Ashcroft. "I thank all the foreign law enforcement agencies whose tireless efforts have contributed to the success of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Caribbean Initiative and to today's indictments."
Thus far, Operations 'Busted Manatee' and 'Double Talk' have resulted in the seizure of 6,539 kilograms of cocaine, 2,665 lbs of marijuana, and more than $25 million in U.S. currency and related assets.
