Senior cop sounds ganja alarm

Director of the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID), Acting Senior Superintendent of Police Patrae Rowe, has issued a stern warning to Jamaicans about the deadly realities of the drug trade, declaring that "ganja is not just a harmless plant."

According to Rowe, the transshipment of ganja is fueling some of Jamaica's most violent crimes, including murder. His warning comes on the heels of last Wednesday's massive drug bust in Morant Bay, St Thomas, where FNID officers, supported by local police, seized more than 1,500 pounds of compressed ganja worth an estimated $4.7 million.

"I also wish to remind Jamaicans that ganja is not just a harmless plant; it is being used in the dangerous guns-for-drugs trade," Rowe said. "Guns are being taken into our country to commit murders," he added.

The latest seizure marks the third major drug bust in St Thomas within two weeks. On September 26, officers recovered 1,600 pounds of ganja along the Pamphret main road, while 1,900 pounds, valued at $5.7 million, were confiscated during a separate operation in Dumfries on September 21.

"These operations focus not only on intercepting drugs but also on cutting off the financial support of criminal networks that use drug trafficking to facilitate broader criminal activity," Rowe emphasised.