The police yesterday morning seized a canister containing marijuana, the 12th such find in five days.

The Manchester police, assisted by personnel from Area Three Narcotics found the canister about 5:00 a.m. at Port Kaiser in the parish.

The canister, with about 40 pounds of ganja, was attached to the hull of a ship docked at the pier. The ship was destined for the United Kingdom.

Last Thursday, members of the Jamaica Defence Force Coastguard discovered 11 canisters during a routine dive search of bauxite vessels in Discovery Bay, St. Ann.

24 canisters seized

At least 24 canisters with compressed ganja have been seized since the start of the year, according to the police.

The marine police, who recently acquired a new fleet of vessels, have increased their presence at the major ports islandwide.

Meanwhile, Pat Belinfanti, assistant vice-president of public relations at the Port Authority of Jamaica(PAJ), said that a vigilant approach to patrolling the country's waters has been adopted to intercept these canisters.

"It is something that has to be constantly worked at as these criminals try and come up with different ways, sometimes even using technology, to be successful at their actions," said Mr. Belinfanti.

"But the key to that is continuing vigilance," he added.

In addition, drug smugglers are coming under pressure because the ports' security systems are working, said Superintendent James Forbes, vice-president for security at the PAJ.

"Systems such as 100 per cent scan of all containers leaving the ports, cameras which go underwater scanning these ships and in some cases divers who inspect the ships before they go," said Sup. Forbes.

"This is why so many are being found," he explained.

shelly-ann.thompson@gleanerjm.com