JAMAICA'S DRUG PLIGHT

To the Editor:

Re "Riots Point Out Jamaican Fault Line" (news article, July 15):

Drugs as much as politics are at the root of the violence that has swept
Jamaica, a hub for Colombian cocaine shipments and the region's premier
exporter of marijuana and hashish oil. Drug sales by Jamaican gangs abroad
pay for most of the sophisticated weaponry smuggled into inner cities for
use against rival garrisons, the police and civilians.

Local dons run warlord-type administrations, themselves partly financed by
the drug trade. Since the dons deliver votes in all elections, they are
protected by the elected politicians and operate with impunity. This is
Jamaica's tragedy and explains the threat of continued drug-driven urban
unrest.

RENSSELAER LEE

McLean, Va., July 17, 2001