Glenroy Sinclair, Staff ReporterA twin-engine aircraft, registered to a United States-based company, is grounded at the Jamaica Defence Force airwing in Kingston, after it was siezed in a massive drug bust in St. Elizabeth.
The plane containing some 900 pounds of compressed ganja was seized at the old Holland Sugar Estate in Lacovia, St. Elizabeth, during a massive operation by the narcotics police, Thursday.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the aircraft is registered to an American company, Fears Bertram Inc., which operates out of Delaware.
"Several parcels of ganja were found packed inside the aircraft with the engine still running," acting head of the Narcotics Division, Superintendent Carl Wilson, told The Sunday Gleaner.
He said that this was the
second twin-engine aircraft, on a drug mission, that has been seized by the narcotics police since the start of the year.
A 39-year-old Bahamian national, Bradley McKay, who was found at the scene, has been detained and the police are seeking about 15 men who were seen running away from the old airstrip on their approach.
According to the police, the men were seen loading parcels of compressed ganja from a vehicle on to the aircraft. On the approach of the police, the vehicle which transported the men, drove away.
Supt. Wilson said a total of 22 packages of ganja were found at the scene, 18 inside the plane and four on the outside. A container with several gallons of fuel was also found.
The Sunday Gleaner understands that the airstrip at the old Holland Sugar Estate closed down almost a decade ago, but was partially renovated by drug dealers, smuggling contraband in and out of the country.
"Our intelligence has shown that quite a number of these illegal airstrips are being used again. Since January, we have disabled three airstrips, one each in Portland, Clarendon and St. James," said Assistant Commis-sioner Glenmore Hinds, head of Operation Kingfish.
