16683: (Arthur) Haiti drug link - Cops say fake fishermen smuggling arms, aliens (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Haiti drug link - Cops say fake fishermen smuggling arms, aliens
published: Tuesday | September 9, 2003 The Jamaica Gleaner

By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter

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.

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