Two Jamaicans, Colombian fishermen charged in major cocaine bust offshore Clarendon

Two Jamaican fishermen and a Colombian fisherman have been charged in relation to the seizure of a large quantity of cocaine valued at $703 million off Portland Ridge, Clarendon, last week.

Charged are 48-year-old Jonothan Daluqua Latarda of Riohacha, Colombia; 48-year-old Delbert Passelle, otherwise called ‘Glen’, a boat captain of Cove district in Lucea, Hanover; and 42-year-old Leroy Donovan Holding, otherwise called ‘Bud’, of Poorman’s Corner, Yallahs, St Thomas.

All three men have been charged with possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, trafficking in cocaine, importing cocaine, and conspiracy to import cocaine.

Latarda has also been charged with illegal entry.

The charges stem from a joint operation on Wednesday, April 22, during which members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard intercepted a vessel approximately 20 miles off Portland Ridge.

According to the police, during the operation, 37 knitted bags containing 1,053 rectangular parcels of a substance resembling cocaine were seized.

The police say the cocaine weighed approximately 1,172.4 kilogrammes and has an estimated value of $703 million.

Reports indicate that the JDF Coast Guard team was on routine maritime patrol when the vessel was intercepted and the occupants apprehended on reasonable suspicion of breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

The vessel, along with the three men and the seized contraband, was escorted to the JDF Coast Guard Base at Port Royal, Kingston, where personnel from the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) were alerted.

The scene was subsequently processed by forensic investigators assigned to FNID, during which the contents of the knitted bags were examined and documented in the presence of the accused men.

On Wednesday, April 29, buccal swabs were taken from all three men while in custody at the Kingston Central Police Station, the police reported.

They were formally charged thereafter.

The accused are scheduled to appear before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Thursday, May 7.

Investigations into the matter are ongoing.

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