(Trinidad Express) A lack of security at the Port of Kingston, Jamaica, is a threat to the reputations of local importers and Customs brokers, who are possibly being used without their knowledge to ship drugs through the Caribbean.
This is the concern of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), following the discovery last Thursday of a container of marijuana at the Pt Lisas Port, with an estimated value of TT$30 million.
In a statement, DOMA said this was reason enough for the majority of importers and Customs to suspend shipment from Kingston until better security is evident.
The association also said it believes any local importer found culpable in the illicit drug trade should be stopped.
The container in question originated in New York, USA, and passed through Jamaica on its way here.
“This is not the first time that containers originating in countries without marijuana production have arrived in Trinidad with this illicit substance, having been transhipped through Jamaica on their way to Trinidad and Tobago,” DOMA stated.
DOMA said containers transshipped through Kingston should also automatically be screened by local Customs and this practice should be requested by legitimate importers.
