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An investigative piece in the American magazine The New Yorker has revealed that a US spy plane took surveillance imagery of Tivoli Gardens on May 24, 2010 during the operation into that community.
According to the article to be published on December 12, a Lockheed P-3 Orion, belonging to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S) was flying above Kingston on May 24 “in support of the D.E.A Drug Enforcement Agency and the Jamaican government”.
The revelation contradicts past statements by the Jamaican government who denied that there was a US spy plane despite evidence at the time.
According to the article written by Mattathias Schwartz, a D.H.S incident report obtained through the Freedom of Information Act describes the surveillance.
“All scenes were continuous recorded,” the report reads.
The Gleaner has also received a copy of the document titled ‘Significant Incident Report’.
The document states that during surveillance, the aircraft observed approximately 40 armed Jamaican soldiers/law enforcement dressed in camouflage raiding most of the surrounding buildings and houses.
Multiple vehicle fires and building fires throughout Tivoli Garden and the surrounding area was also observed by the aircraft.
The aircraft also saw several groups of people running in and around buildings to avoid the military.
In the article, it states that the State Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A) has also officially acknowledged that the plane assisted the Jamaican government during the Tivoli operation.
It also said that the P-3 Orion passed information to “U.S law-enforcement officers stationed at the Embassy, who provided that information to Jamaican authorities.”
“The video material was not viewed in the Embassy,” a US State Department spokesperson said in the article. “It was viewed at a tactical-operations center”, the quote continued.
The article also said that U.S. law- enforcement officers had not made ‘operational decisions’ during the incursion and emphasized Jamaican responsibility.
“We were absolutely not involved on the ground in any of the operations,” a D.E.A spokesperson said.
The document, however, said that ‘surveillance support is needed to increase officer safety. The article went on to say that this referred to Jamaican officers.
Efforts to get a response from the Minister of National Security up to news time were not successful.
The Tivoli incursion which happened from May 24 to 25 in 2010 was an operation designed to capture convicted drug dealer Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. At the end of incursion 74 persons including a member of the Jamaica Defence Force was killed.
mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com
According to the article to be published on December 12, a Lockheed P-3 Orion, belonging to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S) was flying above Kingston on May 24 “in support of the D.E.A Drug Enforcement Agency and the Jamaican government”.
The revelation contradicts past statements by the Jamaican government who denied that there was a US spy plane despite evidence at the time.
According to the article written by Mattathias Schwartz, a D.H.S incident report obtained through the Freedom of Information Act describes the surveillance.
“All scenes were continuous recorded,” the report reads.
The Gleaner has also received a copy of the document titled ‘Significant Incident Report’.
The document states that during surveillance, the aircraft observed approximately 40 armed Jamaican soldiers/law enforcement dressed in camouflage raiding most of the surrounding buildings and houses.
Multiple vehicle fires and building fires throughout Tivoli Garden and the surrounding area was also observed by the aircraft.
The aircraft also saw several groups of people running in and around buildings to avoid the military.
In the article, it states that the State Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A) has also officially acknowledged that the plane assisted the Jamaican government during the Tivoli operation.
It also said that the P-3 Orion passed information to “U.S law-enforcement officers stationed at the Embassy, who provided that information to Jamaican authorities.”
“The video material was not viewed in the Embassy,” a US State Department spokesperson said in the article. “It was viewed at a tactical-operations center”, the quote continued.
The article also said that U.S. law- enforcement officers had not made ‘operational decisions’ during the incursion and emphasized Jamaican responsibility.
“We were absolutely not involved on the ground in any of the operations,” a D.E.A spokesperson said.
The document, however, said that ‘surveillance support is needed to increase officer safety. The article went on to say that this referred to Jamaican officers.
Efforts to get a response from the Minister of National Security up to news time were not successful.
The Tivoli incursion which happened from May 24 to 25 in 2010 was an operation designed to capture convicted drug dealer Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. At the end of incursion 74 persons including a member of the Jamaica Defence Force was killed.
mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com
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