JAMAICA: 2007 MAJORS LIST CERTIFICATION SCORE CARD

UNCLAS KINGSTON 000900

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL/LP BOZZOLO, BROWN AND WHA BUDDEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PREL JM
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: 2007 MAJORS LIST CERTIFICATION SCORE CARD

REF: A. STATE 72494

B. 2006 STATE 204184

C. KINGSTON 071

D. KINGSTON 343

E. KINGSTON 709


1. (SBU) Summary: Jamaica has neither demonstrably failed to
meet the certification requirements outlined in Reftel A, nor
has it demonstrably failed to meet the USG 2007 Benchmarks
for Jamaica (Reftel B). Jamaica, despite the increase in
marijuana eradication operations and record seizures of
marijuana destined for the United States, remains the
Caribbean's leading exporter of the drug to the United
States, and should remain a Majors list country for 2007. End
Summary.

2007 Benchmarks
===============


2. (SBU) In January, (Reftel C) Post delivered the 2007
Majors List Benchmarks for Jamaica (Reftel B),which are:
one, enforce anti-corruption legislation; two, interdict at
least four substantial cocaine shipments; three, finalize the
Proceeds of Crime legislation; and four, institute the
following reform measures within the Jamaica Constabulary
Force: a) fill the internal affairs/anti-corruption officer
chief position, reform existing internal affairs regulations
to permit prompt dismissal and prosecution of corrupt police
officers regardless of rank, c) develop and implement a
comprehensive vetting system for new officers which carries
clear disciplinary sanctions for corrupt police officers, and
d) rationalize assignments and training to ensure that
officers are not transferred out of specialized units shortly
after they receive training.

January - June 2007, How Jamaica Did
====================================


3. (SBU) The USG asked the Government of Jamaica to enforce
existing anti-corruption legislation. While it did take
steps to require Civil Servants to submit their annual
financial disclosure reports, once turned in, the reports are
simply boxed up and never reviewed as the Office of the
Public Prosecutor does not have the staff to conduct
investigation. The Corruption Prevention Commission, The
Office of the Auditor General, and the Contractor General of
Jamaica (Reftel D) continue to be stymied by a lack of
investigative resources, and are hampered by the fact that
their budgets are controlled by the Minister of Finance, and
each request requires Ministerial approval. Therefore, these
organizations currently can do little more than bring
corruption scandals into the public arena. The Ministry of
National Security has prepared draft legislation for the
National Investigative/Intelligence Agency, which will have
among its mandate investigations of public corruption. The
Minister intends to bring this legislation to Parliament
before the end of June.


4. (SBU) The USG asked the Government of Jamaica to interdict
at least four substantial cocaine shipments. When presented
with this benchmark in early 2007, (Reftel B),Jamaica's
Minister of National Security questioned whether this was an
appropriate benchmark, wondering if perhaps the
arrest/extradition of major traffickers would be a more
appropriate, more productive undertaking. While cooperation
on the arrest/extradition of major traffickers, such as the
Drug Kingpin, Leebert Ramcharan in March 2007, remains
excellent, thus far in 2007, there have been no major
seizures of Cocaine. Cocaine seizures year-to-date are 51.44
kilograms. Jamaica is currently participating in a regional
maritime interdiction operation, which has yielded little to
no cocaine, but substantial amounts of marijuana and guns
seized in Jamaican coastal waters. The current street price
of cocaine in Jamaica has risen from USD 6000 to USD 10000
per kilo, indicating a scarcity of supply. Traffickers
appear to prefer alternate Caribbean transit routes to the
United States, avoiding Jamaica. As there is no indication
that the current smuggling pattern will change in the near
term, NAS-Kingston suggests revision of this benchmark from
four to two major cocaine shipments, with the addition of a
requirement to arrest/extradite two major traffickers before
year's end.


5. (SBU) The USG asked the Government of Jamaica to pass the
Proceeds of Crime Act, which had been languishing in
Parliament for more than one year. On January 23, (Reftel
E),Parliament passed the Act, and on May 8, the Minister of
National Security signed into law the Act's implementing
regulations, and established the POCA's effective date, May

15. Under the POCA, for the first time, the Government of
Jamaica will have the power of civil forfeiture. The POCA
covers commercial banks, merchant banks, mortgage companies
(called building societies),exchange bureaus, securities
dealers, remittance agencies and money transfer agencies.
The POCA requires that the GOJ establish an Assets Recovery
Agency (ARA) to manage and dispose of seized and forfeited
assets; the ARA will be housed in the Financial Crimes
Investigative Division (FID). The FID has finalized
organization of its ARA and has received preliminary approval
from the Ministers of National Security and Finance for the
additional resources required, but it is still awaiting
Cabinet approval of its plan. The UK has made POCA
implementation a priority and through its ARA - Center for
Excellence, it is implementing a one-year capacity building
program for the FID, Jamaica Constabulary Force's Financial
Crimes Division and the Office of the Public Prosecutor.
NAS-Kingston is working closely with the UK High Commission
in Kingston on the needs assessment upon which the training
program will be based, and it will provide assistance where
it complements the ARA's program.


6. (SBU) The USG asked the Government of Jamaica to institute
a number of reform measures within the Jamaica Constabulary
Force (JCF). In May, the Government of Jamaica offered the
position of Chief of the Anti-Corruption Division to a UK
police officer (septel). He is expected to start work this
summer. All other reform measures listed in the 2007
benchmarks are slated to be analyzed under the Ministry of
National Security's new strategic review of the JCF, which is
set to begin in June and run through January 2008.

Certification Criteria, (Reftel A),How Jamaica Did
============================================= ======


7. (SBU) In addition to the specific benchmarks for Jamaica
listed above, Jamaica conducted the following
activities/operations relevant to the 1988 UN Drug Convention
(statistics are year-to-date (YTD)):

-- CULTIVATION/ILLICIT CROP ERADICATION: YTD, Operation
Buccaneer has destroyed 146 hectares of marijuana in the
field, 164 kilograms of seeds, 1,917,400 marijuana seedlings,
and 29 nursery buildings.

-- DEMAND REDUCTION: With INL support, the Inter-American
Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) continued its
partnership with the University of the West Indies to develop
an on-line addiction studies program covering substance abuse
prevention, treatment, drug epidemiology, program evaluation
and management.

-- INTERDICTION: YTD, Jamaican Security Forces have seized
31 thousand kilograms of cured marijuana, 40 kilos of hash
oil, and 51.44 kilograms of cocaine.

-- LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION: In April the joint U.S., UK,
Canadian, Jamaican, Airport Interdiction Task Force was
launched. Task Force officers have received orientation
training and they are currently operating under the
supervision of U.S. and UK personnel. Cooperation in other
joint operations, such as Kingfish, Windjammer, and
Hummingbird, and All Inclusive has been excellent.

-- MONEY LAUNDERING/ASSET SEIZURE: YTD the Financial
Investigative Division has seized currency in the amount of
USD 188,000.

-- EXTRADITION: YTD the U.S. Marshals Service in conjunction
with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jamaica
Constabulary Force's Fugitive Apprehension Team, (JFAT),were
responsible for the extradition of one major trafficker
(Donavan Williams) and the Drug King Pin Leebert Ramcharan.
In addition, the Marshals and the JFAT extradited three
fugitives. The U.S. Marshall's current case load is as
follows: 215 active cases, seven arrests, 55 fugitives
located awaiting extradition requests, 18 fugitives in
custody awaiting extradition orders. Because of the success
of the JFAT team, the Jamaica Constabulary Force intends to
double its size and divide JFAT into two units to apprehend
both domestic and foreign fugitives.

JOHNSON