Cops seize 5,000 lbs of ganja in Clarendon
February 11, 2007
Five thousand pounds of compressed ganja, which the authorities valued at J$8 million, were confiscated by close to 100 cops who swooped down on a house in Mitchell Town, Clarendon yesterday morning.
Police said they have arrested Courtney Small, a 37-year-old taxi operator of Mitchell Town and charged him with possession of, dealing in ganja, and preparing the drug for export.
A woman who was at the house, and whose name the police have withheld, has been detained for questioning.
The police also said they believe the ganja was destined for Haiti as part of what appears to be a lucrative drugs-for-guns trade between that impoverished Caribbean state and Jamaica.
The police say a container of gasoline found at the scene, as well as intelligence gathered, led them to believe that a boat would have been used to transport the drug.
"This is a major dent in the drugs-for-guns trade with Haiti and Jamaica based on the intelligence we have gathered off the ground," said Constable Odale Mulgrave, the Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer for Clarendon. "We do know that it is in connection, but we can't state what the intelligence we received is saying."
Constable Mulgrave explained that the raid started at around 6:30 am. The police, he said, cordoned off and searched the house, which is located along a dirt track. The ganja, he said, was found in the backyard.
"It was neatly compressed and wrapped with masking tape and placed in chicken feed bags and just lying in the backyard," Constable Mulgrave said.
He said two dogs were tied close to the weed, apparently to guard it....
Author: Ingrid Brown
Source: Jamaica Observer
