Haiti drug link—Cops say fake fishermen smuggling arms, aliens

By Glenroy Sinclair, The Jamaica Gleaner, Tuesday 9 September 2003

LOCAL NARCOTICS detectives are probing what they say seems to be an expanding drugs, arms and alien-smuggling ring between Jamaica and Haiti, its Caribbean neighbour to the north-east.

The drug agents say that boats loaded with ganja, and possibly cocaine, are leaving the fishing beaches of Old Harbour Bay, south-west St. Catherine, and Port Antonio in east Portland, regularly for Haiti.

Persons claiming to be fishermen are making these trips, taking ganja and in return are given illegal guns; plus, aliens are allowed to travel back with them, Senior Superintendent Carl Williams, head of the Police Narcotics Division, told The Gleaner.

SSP Williams described the illegal aliens as persons seeking to escape economic hardships in Haiti. Intelligence suggested that guns are coming and drugs are leaving, he said.

The narcotics chief disclosed that the police had seized from fishing boats, three weapons in addition to drugs, in two separate operations which were intelligence-driven. The boats operated between the two countries.

Pointing to the calibre weapons coming into the country, Deputy Commissioner Lucius Thomas, who is in charge of crime, said the weapons being trafficked into Jamaica are shotguns, pistols and sub-machine guns.

We have had some successes so far, said DCP Thomas. But, he said the operations of the security forces were being closely monitored by the smugglers. The drugs and guns were being smuggled in novel ways, making it difficult for the security forces to detect them, he said.

Jean Gabriel Augustin, the Haitian Ambassador to Jamaica, told The Gleaner on Friday that he was not aware of any investigation involving Jamaica and Haiti, as it related to any smuggling ring.

Nobody has approached us for any assistance, Mr. Augustin said.

The Ambassador pointed out that Jamaican police had no jurisdiction in Haiti and, therefore, would have to go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, which would then seek the assistance of the Haitian Embassy in Kingston.