Billion-dollar blow for drug traffickers

Jamaican law enforcement authorities seized more than $1 billion worth of cocaine in a series of anti-narcotics operations carried out over a 48-hour period last week, dealing a significant blow to international drug trafficking networks.

Investigators assigned to the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID), working alongside the Jamaica Customs Agency and international partners, intercepted approximately 1,457 kilograms of cocaine at the Kingston Freeport Container Terminal (KFTL) and disrupted a separate smuggling attempt at the Sangster International Airport between October 16 and 17.

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The latest haul adds to what has already been a record year for cocaine seizures in Jamaica. Earlier this year, police reported that more than 5,100 kilogrammes of cocaine, valued at approximately $3 billion, had been seized during the first six months of 2026 alone, surpassing the combined total recorded between 2016 and 2021 and marking the highest amount confiscated in a decade. With the addition of last week’s seizures, the amount of cocaine intercepted by authorities this year has climbed beyond 6,500 kilogrammes.