One person in custody and 4 firearms seized following routine checks of hurricane Melissa relief items coming into the country

The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) says one person has been arrested in relation to the seizure of four illegal firearms during routine checks of Hurricane Melissa relief items coming into the country.

The revelation was made following last Thursday’s meeting of the National Security Council.

During that meeting, Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness received updates on the impact of Hurricane Melissa on the nation’s security architecture, infrastructure and security personnel affected.

According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, the JCA said there has been a significant increase in goods and materials entering the country, primarily due to the hurricane relief effort.

It said appropriate measures were implemented to ensure the relief items were handled efficiently and securely.

The JCA said this resulted in four firearms being detected and recovered in containers coming in as aid from private consignments.

Prime Minister Holness is cautioning persons sending relief items to Jamaica not to include illegal goods and weapons in relief packages.

The National Security Council also noted media reports alleging that relief items were missing from consignments at the island’s ports.

The JCA said while the relevant authorities have not received any formal report of compromised relief cargo since the hurricane, the NSC views the integrity of its system of processing goods entering the country and the confidence of the public in securely retrieving their goods as matters of absolute importance.

To this end, the Prime Minister has directed the JCA and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to conduct a detailed review of their system with a view to identifying any possible gap and strengthening procedures.