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Big Jamaican drug find overseas - Canadians seize C$19m in contraband among shipment of pumpkins
published: Thursday | October 26, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
Canadian police have seized more than 626 kilograms of hashish, hash oil and ganja stashed under a shipment of Jamaican produce including pumpkins, yams and sweet potatoes.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of C$19 million (J$1,086,800,000) were discovered on July 22 wrapped in plastic and hidden under a false floor in a container shipped to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic Coast. Named Project Kalabaza - Spanish for pumpkin - police waited until they could make arrests before they released the information.
Yesterday, Dr. André Gordon, president of the Jamaica Exporters' Association (JEA), said he was concerned that drug traffickers were again targeting export goods.
Major concern
"We have a major, major concern! In fact, over the last three to five months there have been a significant number of discoveries, mainly of compressed ganja, both here and at the destinations," Mr. Gordon told The Gleaner. "It seems that once again they are targeting Jamaican exports which cannot be allowed."
He said the JEA would continue, together with the United States Embassy and their Business Anti-Smuggling Alliance (BASC), to assist exporters in preventing such incidents.
Senator Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), said there was a need for exporters to be more vigilant. He told The Gleaner that more delays could now be expected for Jamaican produce.
"No doubt, and one cannot blame the person in a foreign port, but it is regrettable that this is certain to harm the reputation of the sector and that is the awesome battle that we continue to fight," Senator Grant said.
Jamaica is a major supplier to Canada of hash oil which, according to police, is popular in the Atlantic and Central areas of the country. Hash oil is also manufactured there.
It is easy to use because it can be smoked by simply smearing it onto a cigarette or rolling paper. According to Canadian police statistics, 500kg of hash oil were seized in 2004, of which 469kg came from Jamaica.
But Jennifer Morrison, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spokeswoman, said Jamaica is just one of many source countries for drugs smuggled into Halifax port.
"Since January C$127 million (J$7,26 billion) in drugs have been seized at the port in Halifax and we've had many different and different forms of drugs such as marijuana (ganja), opium and cocaine so it's certainly not just Jamaica," Ms. Morrison told The Gleaner.
However, for privacy reasons she declined to name the company or persons that shipped the vegetables from Jamaica.
The drugs were discovered at the port after a gamma-ray search suggested to CBSA agents that there might be a false floor in the container. They allowed the container to be collected after they contacted police who kept it under surveillance.
The container was then sent to its final destination of a distribution warehouse in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. Police watched it being driven away before it was locked in a garage by two men in Lynden, Ontario on August 22.
One man was arrested immediately and another later identified and arrested two weeks ago. Both are charged with importing a controlled substance.
The operation did not involve Jamaican authorities and Senior Superintendent Carlton Wilson, head of the Narcotics Police Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, said he was unaware of the seizure.
"I'm hearing about this for the first time and nobody from Canada has contacted me," said SSP Wilson.</DIV></DIV>
Big Jamaican drug find overseas - Canadians seize C$19m in contraband among shipment of pumpkins
published: Thursday | October 26, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
Canadian police have seized more than 626 kilograms of hashish, hash oil and ganja stashed under a shipment of Jamaican produce including pumpkins, yams and sweet potatoes.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of C$19 million (J$1,086,800,000) were discovered on July 22 wrapped in plastic and hidden under a false floor in a container shipped to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic Coast. Named Project Kalabaza - Spanish for pumpkin - police waited until they could make arrests before they released the information.
Yesterday, Dr. André Gordon, president of the Jamaica Exporters' Association (JEA), said he was concerned that drug traffickers were again targeting export goods.
Major concern
"We have a major, major concern! In fact, over the last three to five months there have been a significant number of discoveries, mainly of compressed ganja, both here and at the destinations," Mr. Gordon told The Gleaner. "It seems that once again they are targeting Jamaican exports which cannot be allowed."
He said the JEA would continue, together with the United States Embassy and their Business Anti-Smuggling Alliance (BASC), to assist exporters in preventing such incidents.
Senator Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), said there was a need for exporters to be more vigilant. He told The Gleaner that more delays could now be expected for Jamaican produce.
"No doubt, and one cannot blame the person in a foreign port, but it is regrettable that this is certain to harm the reputation of the sector and that is the awesome battle that we continue to fight," Senator Grant said.
Jamaica is a major supplier to Canada of hash oil which, according to police, is popular in the Atlantic and Central areas of the country. Hash oil is also manufactured there.
It is easy to use because it can be smoked by simply smearing it onto a cigarette or rolling paper. According to Canadian police statistics, 500kg of hash oil were seized in 2004, of which 469kg came from Jamaica.
But Jennifer Morrison, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spokeswoman, said Jamaica is just one of many source countries for drugs smuggled into Halifax port.
"Since January C$127 million (J$7,26 billion) in drugs have been seized at the port in Halifax and we've had many different and different forms of drugs such as marijuana (ganja), opium and cocaine so it's certainly not just Jamaica," Ms. Morrison told The Gleaner.
However, for privacy reasons she declined to name the company or persons that shipped the vegetables from Jamaica.
The drugs were discovered at the port after a gamma-ray search suggested to CBSA agents that there might be a false floor in the container. They allowed the container to be collected after they contacted police who kept it under surveillance.
The container was then sent to its final destination of a distribution warehouse in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. Police watched it being driven away before it was locked in a garage by two men in Lynden, Ontario on August 22.
One man was arrested immediately and another later identified and arrested two weeks ago. Both are charged with importing a controlled substance.
The operation did not involve Jamaican authorities and Senior Superintendent Carlton Wilson, head of the Narcotics Police Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, said he was unaware of the seizure.
"I'm hearing about this for the first time and nobody from Canada has contacted me," said SSP Wilson.</DIV></DIV>