Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
HEAD OF Operation Kingfish, Assistant Commissioner Glenmore Hinds, said yesterday that he was encouraged by a report from the U.S. State Department that named the task force a key instrument in Jamaica's fight against narcotics trafficking and other forms of crime.
The State Department's March 2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), which describes the efforts of countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade in 2005, made specific mention of the successes of Operation Kingfish last year.
According to the report, "Operation Kingfish resulted in the successful seizure of 56 vehicles, seven boats, one aircraft, 131 firearms and two containers conveying drugs. Operation Kingfish alone was also responsible for the seizure of more than nine metric tons of cocaine, four pounds of hash oil and over 5,117 pounds of compressed marijuana."
PLEASED WITH THE REPORT
Yesterday, ACP Hinds said he was pleased with the report.
"It has confirmed what we have been saying," he said. "This commendation will only encourage us as we continue to fulfil our mandate to dismantle criminal networks."
The INCSR raised concerns about money laundering in Jamaica, which it noted, was continuing because of a lack of effective legislation.
In response, ACP Hinds said: "There indeed are some inadequacies in some aspects of our legislation. Some of the things we have been lobbying for are, however, now before Parliament."
The State Department's report also named Jamaica as the largest Caribbean producer and exporter of marijuana. ACP Hinds, while noting that the Narcotics Division plays the primary role in combating this form of crime, reiterated Operation Kingfish's resolve to dismantle the local arm of the international drug trade. He made specific mention of the task force's efforts to locate and demolish illegal airstrips across the island.
