Three men arrested following seizure of 3,000 pounds of ganja

 

The police are reporting that three men have been arrested and charged following the seizure of 3,000 pounds of ganja, valued at $9.3 million, in Toms River on the border of St. Mary and St. Andrew.

 

They have described the seizure as another step forward in the clamp down on the illicit guns for drugs trade. 

 

At the same time, charges are pending against two Haitian men who were also taken into custody. 

 

Fifty-year-old Heron Brown, a farmer of Burton district, St. Elizabeth, 30-year-old Wade Richards, a vendor of Thompson Pen, St. Catherine, and 28-year-old Delroy Wilson of St. Margaret's Bay, Portland are charged with two counts each of possession of, dealing in, taking steps prior to export, trafficking and conspiracy to traffic ganja.

 

On July 18, about 9 p.m., members of the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) Special Operations Team, intercepted two motor vehicles in Toms River. 

 

According to the police, one of the vehicles was occupied by Mr. Wilson and the two Haitians, while the other men were in the second vehicle. 

 

A thorough search of the vehicles reportedly uncovered over 350 parcels of ganja. 

 

All five men were arrested. 

 

The police say this latest seizure forms part of a broader ongoing effort by the Constabulary Force to disrupt criminal networks.

 

Since the start of the year, more than 40,000 pounds of ganja, valued at $121 million, have been seized. 

 

Additionally, more than 1,700 pounds of cocaine, valued at over $405 million, have also been intercepted.

 

Director of the FNID, Acting Senior Superintendent Petrae Rowe, noted that these large-scale drug seizures are directly linked to the guns for drugs trade.

 

"We believe that the sympathy that is sometimes associated with the cultivation and use of ganja is certainly not serving us well as a people, and we are hoping that the Jamaican people can be enlightened that the growing of ganja is not just a cultivation or a sacramental reason, but it is being used on the high seas for trade to bring weapons into Jamaica. It is alarming that 40,000 pounds of ganja can be exchanged for over 800 handguns, or 400-and-odd rifles, or a mixture of both. And this can be detrimental - and I'm sure Jamaican people understand that these guns are detrimental to our efforts and our fight against crime," he noted.

 

Acting SSP Rowe appealed to the public to share information on illegal drugs and firearms by contacting the FNID at 876-923-6184, Crime Stop at 311, the National Intelligence Bureau at 811, the police 119 emergency number, or the nearest police station.