Pubdate: Sat, 22 Sep 2007
Source: Jamaica Gleaner, The (Jamaica)
Copyright: 2007 The Gleaner Company Limited
Contact: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/feedback.html
Website: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/493

SMITH TO BOOST WAR ON DRUG

Minister of National Security Derrick Smith has said  the Government 
would be resolute in its efforts to rid  the island of all the 
players in the illegal drug  trade, in order to remove Jamaica from 
the major list  of drug transhipment and producing countries.

Mr. Smith was speaking in Twickenham Park, St.  Catherine, yesterday 
where 58 police and customs  officers from Jamaica and nine other 
English speaking  countries completed a course in narcotics 
investigation  and a junior command course for several middle 
managers in the respective forces.

Jamaica was named to a list which included other  countries such as 
India, Afghanistan and Venezuela for  what the U.S cites as major 
drug transit or illicit  drug-producing countries.

Full speed ahead

"The fact that there is a change of administration does  not mean 
that there is a change in the fight against  the illegal drug trade, 
as Jamaica must be removed from  the list of other countries and we 
will be going full  speed ahead to deal with this problem," he said.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas  acknowledged that 
Jamaica indeed saw an upsurge in the  production of ganja, amid a 
major dent in cocaine  transhipments through the island. He said that 
the  force would be seeking to increase its efforts to fight  the 
problem in the upcoming year.
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