Police charge 4 men in connection with the seizure of over 2,000 pounds of ganja during joint police/military operation in Alligator Pond, St. Elizabeth

Police have charged 4 men in connection with the seizure of over 2,000 pounds of ganja, during a joint police/military operation in Alligator Pond, St. Elizabeth last Tuesday March 3.

The men have been charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, trafficking ganja, taking steps preparatory to export ganja and conspiracy to export ganja.

Charged are: 57-year-old Paul Kelly and 40-year-old Omar Nard both of Rocky Point, Clarendon, 37-year-old Achiema Mckoy, of Braes River, St. Elizabeth and 35-year-old Carl Manderson of Half Moon Bay, Hellshire, St. Catherine.

Reports are that about 12:07 a.m., the joint team intercepted a canoe, with 4 men onboard, in the waters near Alligator Pond, St. Elizabeth.

On boarding and searching the vessel, several knitted bags containing compressed ganja were found.

The illicit drug has an estimated street value of JMD$15.1 million.

The operation was a coordinated effort between the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard.

Acting Director of FNID, Deputy Superintendent Sheldon Coulson lauded the synergy between the JCF and the military, as they continue to clamp down on the guns-for-drugs trade.

He says the successful operation demonstrates the effectiveness of the partnership between the FNID and the JDF Coast Guard in disrupting narcotics trafficking networks that attempt to use Jamaica’s territorial waters for illegal gain.

Investigations are ongoing.