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.