BLACK EYE FOR JAMAICA CONSTABULARY FORCE -- AMMO

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 000809 SIPDIS SANTO DOMINGO FOR LEGATT STATE FOR INL/LP BROWN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2018 TAGS: SNAR KCRM JM SUBJECT: BLACK EYE FOR JAMAICA CONSTABULARY FORCE -- AMMO SALE FROM UNLICENSED U.S. DEALER NOW PUBLIC REF: A. E-MAIL LEGATT-SANTO DOMINGO TO AMEMBKINGSTON 05/11/08 ¶B. E-MAIL EMBASSY TO INL/LP 09/08/08 Classified By: Ambassador Johnson for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) Action Request -- LEGATT -- please see para 8. ¶1. Summary: (C) After sitting quietly on the website of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for four months, a one-page press release regarding the indictment of convicted arms dealer, Lance Brooks, for the attempted illegal sale of 270,000 rounds of ammunition to the Jamaica Constabulary Force has, this week become a story that won't go away. The Commissioner, who continues to view the matter as a mistake, has issued a report to the Prime Minister and the Contractor General (government watch dog) has requested Cabinet approval to launch an investigation. The Former Minister of National Security used the incident as an opportunity to take a swipe at the Government. The officer at the center of it all, who is British, is awaiting the outcome of the various investigations, is not nervous but mildly concerned that he may be made the scapegoat. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In May, the FBI, through the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, issued a press release regarding the Brooks case. Copies of the release were sent to the Commissioner of Police and Ministry of National Security. However the Jamaican press did not pick up the story at that time. It was therefore more than a bit of a surprise to everyone when on September 7, the story hit the front page of one of Jamaica's largest daily newspapers. The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration, Gevene Bent, issued a statement that the purchase was made in error and the officer at the center of it all, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Robinson, breathed a sigh of relief. On September 8, the story seemed to be dying down and it was the JCF and Ministry of National Security's intention to quietly file for reimbursement of the $20,000 recovered by the FBI. On September 9, the Minister of National Security, Trevor MacMillan, stirred up a hornets nest by commenting that the reason Jamaica was forced to go to vendors of questionable reputation was because it could not get export licenses from reputable vendors due to the perception that Jamaica has a human rights problem. On September 11, the Contractor General, the Government's watchdog for public contracting, announced that his office would request Cabinet permission to investigate the matter. ¶3. (C) According to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Robinson, a British police officer contracted to the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Force initiated the order in October 2007, when it became apparent that its stock of .38 and .380 ammunition would run short before its standing order for re-supply would be filled. Robinson, who has responsibility for the Firearms and Coastal Security Branch, was asked to research ammunition vendors. He initially contacted Winchester -- who declined the order, stating it was too small and that its first commitment was to produce munitions for the U.S. military. Robinson also contacted Federal ATK, which had the items for sale but back ordered. He contacted a third vendor, Lance Brooks, whose name he had received through the former Commissioner of Police's office. Brooks indicated that he had the necessary ammunition in stock, and his price was less than Federal. Robinson turned the information over to the JCF procurement office, recommending Brooks based on price and availability. His only other involvement in the sale was to prepare the end use paperwork and obtain the signature of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security. Robinson has assisted the Commissioner in preparing his report to the Prime Minister. Robinson is mildly concerned that he will be made a scapegoat by the Jamaican Government, which has suffered mightily in the press over this "debacle." (Note: Robinson was also involved in the procurement of the JCF new MP5 weapons from Pakistan, which were of such poor quality upon arrival that they had to be sent back. Robinson has been working with the original manufacturer in Germany to try to obtain an export license so that the JCF can purchase an additional 500 MP5s this year and decommission its stock of M-16 A-1 weapons, which were donated by the USG) ¶4. (C) When the FBI contacted the Ministry and JCF in late March, after it picked up a DHL package to Brooks that contained the Ministry's end use certificate, it was discovered that Brooks was up to his old tricks; exporting munitions without a license. By then, unfortunately, the US$ 81,000 which was sent via wire transfer by the JCF in early March had mostly disappeared. The JCF and Ministry then begin to cooperate with the FBI, and the evidence it provided enabled the FBI to make its case against Brooks. Unfortunately, the FBI was only able to recover $20,000 of the $80,000 of the JCF money. ¶5. (C) Donna-Burnett Beckford, Director of Finance for the JCF, places the blame on Robinson, stating that the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of sourcing the bullets, Robinson, should have asked for and received the necessary export documentation, before moving the procurement forward. According to Burnett, the normal process for procurements was not followed in this as in all cases where sensitive equipment is being purchased. Non-sensitive items are sourced and ordered by the JCF Procurement Department. Sensitive items are sourced by the ACP in charge, and it is the ACP which makes the buying recommendation, the Finance Dept. is only responsible for ensuring that money is available, not checking the remainder of the packet to determine if all the i's and t's are dotted and crossed. ¶6. (C) The Commissioner of Police, Hardley Lewin, issued a report to the Prime Minister, he continues to consider the matter a mistake. Lewin has not requested any action by the Assistant Commissioner of Police for Anti-Corruption on this matter. ¶7. (C) The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of National Security, Gilbert Scott, also blames Robinson. However he considers it an omission rather than any sort of deliberate failure or act of corruption. According to Scott, despite the Contractor General's call for action, it really is a non-story, a simple mistake. Scott anticipates that by September 15, the story will have left the papers and will simply go away. He informed us that the Ministry has filed the paperwork to retrieve Jamaica's money and they await the USG's response. Scott's former boss, Peter Phillips, who is currently attempting to take over the leadership of the Opposition People's National Party, used the botched gun sale as an excuse to take a swipe at the Government. Phillips called on the current Minister of National Security to explain to the nation what happened. ¶8. (C) On September 15, the Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of National Security, Ann Marie Barnes, contacted the NAS Director to seek U.S. assistance with its investigation into the sale. Barnes had in hand the Commissioner of Police's report to the Prime Minister. Based on the report and the Ministry's own investigation, Barnes has concerns that the arms dealer Brooks' entree to the JCF was through the spouse of Deputy Commissioner of Police for Administration and Support, Jevene Bent. (Bent's spouse's name is Derrick Brooks, DOB unknown). Barnes asked if the U.S. could assist in investigating any contact between Derrick Brooks and Lance Brooks the arms dealer. Barnes is not the only one who shares suspicion over Bent's involvement in this matter -- the NAS Director heard similar comments from both Assistant Commissioner Les Green and Assistant Commissioner Justin Felice (British Officer's). Note: Green and Felice's comments need to be taken in context as both are personal friends of ACP Robinson, who may also be under suspicion. However, that does not mean that their comments have no merit. On behalf of the Ministry of National Security, Embassy Kingston asks if the LEGATT in Santo Domingo could make inquiries regarding Derrick Brooks. Johnson