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International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 1998
Released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs,
U.S.Department of State 
Washington, DC, February 1999

JAMAICA

I. Summary

Jamaica is a major transit point for South American cocaine en route to
the U.S. and is also the largest Caribbean producer and exporter of
marijuana. During 1998, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) made some
progress toward meeting the goals and objectives of the 1988 UN Drug
Convention, to which it became a party in 1995. At regional meetings,
GOJ officials actively supported counterdrug initiatives. Bilateral
counterdrug cooperation is good and improving, especially in the area of
maritime law enforcement. The Jamaica-U.S bilateral maritime agreement,
proposed by the USG in July 1995, came into force when Jamaica passed
enabling legislation in February 1998. Jamaican forces participated in
several combined operations under the new agreement.

During 1998, the GOJ removed four persons to the U.S., three by
extradition and one under a waiver of extradition, compared to three
removals in 1997. The USG and GOJ worked together to remove from the
list of pending extradition requests all non-active cases, leaving 17
pending requests for which the U.S. seeks early resolution. Jamaica's
cannabis eradication during 1998 was down only slightly from 1997,
despite a virtual lack of helicopter and fixed wing air support.
Marijuana and cocaine seizures and drug-related arrests increased
significantly over 1997; hash oil seizures were down. The GOJ made a
valuable contribution to regional anti-drug efforts by assuming funding
of operating costs of the Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement
Training Center, located near Kingston and built with USG funding under
a UNDCP project.

Three years after its accession to the 1988 UN Drug Convention in 1995,
the GOJ continues its efforts to comply with the Convention's goals and
objectives. In 1998, the lower house of parliament passed amendments to
the existing anti-money laundering legislation; Senate action is
pending. If passed by the Senate, the proposed amendments would require
suspicious transaction reporting and also raise the threshold for
mandatory transaction reporting from $10,000 equivalent to $50,000
equivalent. Further GOJ action is required, however, to bring its
anti-money laundering law in line with international standards,
especially extending the law to cover the laundering of the proceeds of
all serious crime. Current Jamaican law requires the conviction of a
criminal drug defendant prior to commencing a forfeiture action. The GOJ
forfeited the house of a convicted drug trafficker in 1998. Jamaica's
current asset forfeiture regime does not permit the GOJ to take full
advantage of the forfeiture mechanism to augment the resources of its
anti-drug agencies and deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crime.
In 1998, the GOJ did not table in parliament a precursor and essential
chemical control law, despite stated commitments to do so for the last
several years. However, the GOJ has budgeted for implementation of
chemical controls, and the USG has already provided training to Jamaican
precursor chemical control personnel. The GOJ did table in parliament
anti-corruption legislation, which is currently under debate.
Corruption, especially among members of the security and law enforcement
forces, however, remains a serious problem in Jamaica, and the GOJ has
not taken strong action to prosecute corrupt individuals. UNDCP's
Caribbean Regional Office, in its April 1998 newsletter "Focus on
Drugs," quoted a report by the NGO Transparency International which
noted corruption is a grave problem in Jamaica and that drug trafficking
adds to the problem.

We believe the GOJ should now pass needed anti-drug and anti-money
laundering legislation and take additional actions that will have a
profound impact on the level of drug trafficking in Jamaica. In 1998,
the GOJ arrested 7,352 drug offenders in 1998, and the Supreme Court
reported 10,290 convictions of drug offenders. However, even though GOJ
counterdrug cooperation with DEA continued to be good, no Jamaican drug
kingpins were arrested or convicted during 1998 and continue to operate
with apparent impunity. The GOJ has agreed to develop in the coming
year, with USG assistance, special units to target drug kingpins and
apprehend fugitives from justice. Illegal drugs continue to transit
Jamaica's borders, and the USG will continue to assist the GOJ to
address port security problems identified in a 1997 comprehensive
assessment by USG agencies. The GOJ has in place a comprehensive
national drug control strategy which covers both supply and demand
reduction; the GOJ should add to its strategy specific goals and
objectives and measures of effectiveness. The GOJ also should ratify the
Inter-American Convention against Corruption, and, as it mandates, put
in place legislation that requires financial disclosure by public
officials. The GOJ also needs to take stronger steps to strengthen
internal controls and investigate and prosecute corrupt members of the
security and law enforcement forces. The USG will continue to provide
technical assistance, training, and equipment to the GOJ to help
strengthen its anti-drug, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption laws
and enforcement capabilities.

II. Status of Country

Jamaica, the foremost producer and exporter of marijuana in the
Caribbean, is also a major transit country for illegal drugs destined
for the U.S. Jamaica's central Caribbean location, halfway between
Colombia and Florida, makes it an attractive location for cocaine
transshipment operations. The transshipment of multi-kilogram loads of
cocaine through Jamaica to North America and Europe is a significant
problem, as is that of Jamaica-based traffickers who use couriers who
board commercial airlines attempting to smuggle cocaine that they have
ingested or concealed in their clothing or luggage. Jamaica is not an
offshore banking center, and the local criminal element distrusts
Jamaican financial institutions. Thus, locally laundered money is used
to acquire real assets, such as houses or cars, rather than financial
instruments. The USG and OAS/CICAD share a growing concern over the
vulnerability of Caribbean ports, including those in Jamaica, to illegal
diversion of precursor and essential chemicals. In Jamaica, illicitly
obtained isopropyl alcohol is utilized to distill hash oil.

III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1998

Jamaica's counterdrug efforts have taken place against a backdrop of
severe resource constraints caused by a recession that is now in its
third year; 1998 could be Jamaica's third straight year of negative
economic growth. Between 1987 and 1998, the U.S Department of State has
provided more counterdrug assistance to Jamaica than to any other
Caribbean country.

Policy Initiatives. The master drug plan, passed by Jamaica's parliament
in 1997, involves all relevant ministries in an integrated strategy
focusing on supply and demand reduction. The strategy also seeks to
minimize the profits from marijuana cultivation and trafficking. The
plan complies with the OAS/CICAD model. Jamaica made a regionally
important policy determination to fund the operating costs of the
Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Center (REDTRAC) when
UNDCP funding expired earlier this year. This center, built with U.S.
funds under a UNDCP project, has provided specialized training for
hundreds of regional law enforcement officers since its inception in
1996.

Accomplishments. In February 1998, Jamaica passed implementing
legislation to bring the bilateral maritime law enforcement cooperation
agreement, signed in May 1997, into force. In April, Jamaica undertook
its first combined operation with the U.S. under the new agreement.
Jamaica participated, along with the U.S. and the Cayman Islands, in
three additional combined operations in 1998. The JDF presently lacks
adequate fixed wing aircraft and ships, which seriously hampers their
maritime reconnaissance and interdiction efforts, but did purchase seven
helicopters at the end of the year.

In September 1998, Jamaica signed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with the
U.S., amending the International Narcotics Control Project Agreement
signed in August 1988 and amended annually since 1988. The LOA reflects
a tradition of cooperation between the U.S. and Jamaica in drug control
operations.

The Jamaica Customs Service has also implemented some measures to
improve security at Kingston's seaport and international airport,
including USG-supported training in a number of areas and the
acquisition of additional x-ray machines. Nevertheless, Jamaica's air
and sea ports continue to be utilized by traffickers of contraband,
including illegal drugs and firearms.

Money Laundering. Jamaica is not considered an important regional
financial center, tax haven, or offshore banking center. However, money
laundering does occur. DEA reports that drug money is laundered
primarily through the acquisition of real assets such as cars and real
estate. In consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial
Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the GOJ prepared further amendments
to Jamaica's money laundering statute designed to bring it more into
compliance with the recommendations of the Caribbean Financial Action
Task Force (CFATF) by adding a "suspicious transactions"
reporting requirement. The amendments were passed by the lower house of
parliament in December 1998; passage by the Senate is pending. Further
GOJ action is required, however, to bring its anti-money laundering law
in line with international standards, especially extending the law to
cover the laundering of the proceeds of all serious crime, especially
firearms trafficking. The GOJ is coordinating with FinCEN with respect
to hiring the personnel and acquiring the computer hardware, software
and training necessary to analyze the currency transaction reports
required by the money laundering statute. The GOJ participates very
actively in the activities of CFATF, which has scheduled its mutual
evaluation of Jamaica's anti-money laundering regime for 1999.

Asset Seizure. Unlike the U.S., Jamaica does not have a civil forfeiture
statute. The relevant Jamaican statute, the 1995 Forfeiture of Assets
Act, requires a criminal drug-trafficking conviction as a prerequisite
to the forfeiture of assets associated with drug trafficking. This year,
a Jamaican court ordered the first forfeiture of assets under this
statute, a home belonging to a convicted drug dealer. The Public
Prosecutor's office is currently reviewing the cases of other convicted
drug traffickers to ascertain if they have traceable assets subject to
forfeiture. During 1998, Jamaican authorities seized ten vessels
involved in drug smuggling, of which two have been forfeited to the
Crown and the remaining eight are in various stages of the forfeiture
procedure.

Operation Prop Lock, a combined effort of the DEA and Jamaica
Constabulary Force (JCF) to seize suspected trafficking aircraft of U.S.
registry and return them to the U.S. for forfeiture, was not successful
during 1998, due largely to a shift in favor of seaborne transport.

Jamaica's current asset forfeiture regime does not permit the GOJ to
take full advantage of the forfeiture mechanism to augment the resources
of its anti-drug agencies and deprive criminals of the proceeds of their
crime.

Extradition. During 1998, four persons were removed to the U.S., three
by extradition and one under a waiver of extradition, compared to three
removals in 1997 and eight in 1996. The GOJ and USG consulted on the
list of pending extradition requests and removed from it all non-active
cases, leaving 17 pending requests, of which three are currently in
custody. The USG seeks early resolution of these 17 cases. Jamaican
authorities are generally receptive to and cooperative with U.S.
requests for extradition. Delays in extradition cases result mainly from
the due process protections afforded Jamaican criminal defendants.
Combined with an overburdened court system, this means that contested
extradition requests can take from four to five years (and possibly
longer) to fully litigate. The GOJ has agreed to develop in the coming
year, with USG assistance, a special unit to apprehend fugitives from
justice.

Precursor Chemical Control. Jamaica is not a source of precursor or
essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics. The
OAS/CICAD, however, views chemical diversion as an issue of concern
affecting all countries in the Western Hemisphere, especially Caribbean
countries, including Jamaica. The Caribbean transit zone countries are
particularly vulnerable to chemical diversion because of their location
between North American and European chemical producing countries and
Central and South American drug-producing consumers of those chemicals,
just as they are affected by the flow of illegal drugs from producing
countries to markets in the U.S. and Europe. Also in Jamaica, illicitly
acquired isopropyl alcohol is used to distill hash oil. In 1998, the GOJ
drafted but has not yet introduced in parliament a precursor and
essential chemical control law. However, the GOJ fully expects this
legislation to be enacted during 1999 and has budgeted for
implementation of chemical controls for the current fiscal year (April
1, 1998 to March 31, 1999). Moreover, the USG has already provided
training to Jamaican precursor chemical control personnel. In addition,
Jamaica is a beneficiary country of the Caribbean Chemical Control
Project funded by the OAS/CICAD and the European Union, which will begin
shortly with individual country needs assessments followed by technical
assistance and training.

Law Enforcement Efforts. DEA reports that counternarcotics cooperation
with the JCF is very good and continues to improve. JCF drug-related
arrests more than doubled from 3,364 in 1997 to 7,352 in 1998.
DEA-initiated cases resulted in 73 arrests in 1998, versus 66 arrests in
1997; however, none of those arrested is a drug kingpin. DEA has been
working closely with the JCF to improve targeting of Jamaican drug
kingpins and their organizations. The GOJ has agreed to develop in the
coming year, with USG assistance, a special unit to target drug
kingpins.

Both the JDF and the JCF assign a high priority to counterdrug missions.
This has resulted, with U.S. funding support, in a continuous marijuana
eradication effort and the elimination of a number of hash oil
processing labs. The USG is working closely with the JCF Narcotics
Division to maximize its coverage by providing used mobile homes and
shipping containers to be utilized as temporary office space at
strategic points around the island.

Corruption. The GOJ does not as a matter of government policy encourage
or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of narcotic or
psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of
proceeds from illegal drug transactions. The GOJ has not prosecuted any
senior Jamaican government official for engaging in, encouraging, or in
any way facilitating the illicit production or distribution of such
drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug
transactions. UNDCP's Caribbean Regional Office, in its April 1998
newsletter "Focus on Drugs," however, quoted a report by the
NGO Transparency International which noted corruption is a grave problem
in Jamaica and that drug trafficking adds to the problem. The GOJ has
tabled in parliament legislation that will enact relevant provisions of
the Inter-American Convention against Corruption. This legislation has
been referred to a bipartisan joint select committee for review, a
standard procedure for complex or controversial legislation. The
committee has now completed its review. The GOJ expects the bill should
come to a vote in parliament early in 1999.

As a matter of policy, the GOJ prosecutes individuals who by reliable
evidence are linked to drug-related activity. The case of a resident
magistrate charged in 1997 with malfeasance in a prominent drug case is
still in the pre-trial phase.

The GOJ likewise has a policy of investigating credible reports of
police corruption, including those related to drugs. The JCF is
investigating allegations that police officers had diverted cocaine and
marijuana that was seized during a December 7, 1998, bust in the Montego
Bay area. In 1997 (1998 statistics are not yet available), 45 police
officers were arrested for criminal offenses; eight of those were
arrested for corruption charges. In 1998, the JCF instituted a program
of random drug testing for police officers. In January 1999, the Police
Commissioner ordered the transfer of 56 of the 127 policemen assigned to
the Parish of Portland. The Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) has a "zero
tolerance" policy on drug involvement by its members. In May 1998,
a JDF Coast Guard lieutenant was arrested on four marijuana charges. He
was summarily dismissed from the JDF and was convicted in the resident
magistrate's court, where he was fined approximately U.S.$1,700 and
given a six-month suspended sentence.

Mutual Legal Assistance. Jamaica has a mutual legal assistance treaty
(MLAT) and an extradition treaty with the U.S. Both countries have
utilized the MLAT in combating illegal narcotics trafficking and other
crimes. Jamaica is also a party to the MLAT among the Commonwealth
states.

Illicit Cultivation and Production. The consumption of marijuana is
illegal in Jamaica, and the GOJ has consistently rejected calls for its
legalization. The JDF and JCF continue to cooperate on U.S.-funded
eradication operations utilizing their limited resources, despite this
year's lack of helicopter support. Although the 1998 LOA set a tentative
cannabis eradication goal of 800 hectares, lack of a good estimate of
hectarage under cannabis cultivation and agreement on the number of
harvests per year leaves that figure only as a rough estimate. In 1998,
eradication operations (by two cutter teams of 14 personnel each)
resulted in the destruction of 692 hectares of cannabis, down slightly
from the (revised) 1997 level of 743 hectares. The eradication
operational tempo was maintained throughout 1998, notwithstanding the
lack of U.S.-provided helicopter support (helicopters were grounded due
to engine vibration and general aging problems) once considered
fundamental to the success of this program.

After cutting, the amount of cannabis eradicated is tallied by the JDF
and JCF field officers. Eradication data are analyzed and compiled by
parish (district) into a monthly report. Crops are usually planted in
swamps and along the hills and valleys of remote areas that have limited
road access. Farmers continually devise ingenious ways of concealing
cannabis. Its current street value is U.S.$800-1000 per pound, which
makes cannabis much more profitable than other crops. In addition to
cannabis eradicated, GOJ authorities seized and destroyed 36 metric tons
of marijuana, compared with 24 metric tons seized in 1997. In 1998,
cocaine seizures totaled 1,144 kilograms, compared with 414 kilograms in
1997; hash oil seizures totaled 144 kilograms, down from 383 kilograms
in 1997; and hashish seizures totaled 41 kilograms, down from 67
kilograms in 1997.

As a matter of public policy and reflecting popular opinion, Jamaica is
opposed to aerially applied herbicide as a means of eradicating
cannabis. Manual cutting is the method utilized. Growers routinely
interplant cannabis among legitimate crops. The GOJ and the
environmental community believe that aerial spraying of herbicide would
cause long-term ill effects to individuals and the environment.

At Jamaica's request, the USG provided assistance in conducting an
aerial survey to more precisely target areas under cannabis cultivation.
To date, the USG has been unable to complete its analysis of the survey
results, so there is till no reliable estimate of annual cannabis
cultivation in Jamaica.

Demand Reduction. Jamaica has several active demand reduction projects
in place. The UNDCP is active in Jamaica and works directly with the GOJ
and NGOs to improve demand reduction efforts. The European Union will be
funding a large, three-year demand reduction project. Two of the most
highly visible projects are those of the National Council on Drug Abuse
(NCDA) and the NGO Addiction Alert. The UNDCP has funded an integrated
demand reduction program managed by the NCDA. Addiction alert has
received U.S. funding for its adolescent drug prevention program. The
GOJ has used extensively the audiovisual, print media and other
materials produced by U.S. Military Information Support Teams (MIST)
deployed in country. The MIST teams have worked closely with national
demand reduction agencies to develop and distribute materials
reinforcing an anti-drug message.

IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs

Bilateral Cooperation. The GOJ publicly states its commitment to
combating illegal drugs. The USG has provided funding for GOJ
counterdrug efforts continuously since 1987. U.S. Department of State
counterdrug funding for Jamaica, 1987-1998, exceeds that provided to any
other Caribbean nation. Nevertheless, Jamaica operates under severe
resource constraints, with half of its national budget going for debt
repayment alone. Despite limited resources, 1998 saw some improvement in
GOJ counterdrug activity. The passage of legislation implementing the
bilateral maritime agreement and the commencement of combined
U.S./Jamaican operations under that agreement, as well as GOJ
commitments made in the 1998 LOA were positive steps against drugs. The
acquisition of seven helicopters, refurbishing of a coast guard cutter
and the assumption of operating expenses for the Caribbean Regional Drug
Law Enforcement Training Center represent a substantial outlay of money
and are indicative of a level of commitment to counterdrug efforts. The
JDF coast guard regularly patrols Jamaican coastal waters, with drug
interdiction as one of its tasks. At the police operational level,
Jamaican cooperation with DEA and FBI remained positive. Nevertheless,
the GOJ has experienced difficulties in making cases against drug
kingpins. Jamaican borders continue to be vulnerable to traffickers
moving contraband, especially drugs and firearms. Development of the
requisite legal framework and enforcement capability is our biggest
challenge in the road ahead.

Road Ahead. The general challenge for any Caribbean state is to avoid
becoming a "weak link" in the fight against transnational
organized crime. Jamaica has taken some steps to protect itself against
drug trafficking and other types of organized crime, but the GOJ needs
to act aggressively if it is to achieve the bilateral goal of a fully
integrated institutional structure capable of investigating and
prosecuting cases against major drug and crime figures. Additional
legislation pertaining to public corruption, money laundering, asset
forfeiture, precursor chemical control, and modern crime control tools
such as wiretap legislation would create a more effective legal
framework. To make further progress against drug trafficking, it will be
necessary to augment Jamaica's drug interdiction and marijuana
eradication capabilities. We will also have to continue to provide
training and to work closely with the police and public prosecutors to
enhance their abilities to investigate, successfully prosecute, and
forfeit the assets of drug kingpins.

[end of document]

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