Hit thugs in pocket - US
Published:Wednesday | July 28, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
The United States wants the Jamaican Government to use a powerful tool in its possession called the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) to cripple gang networks in the country.
Addressing journalists yesterday at a press briefing at the US Embassy in St Andrew, Dr Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, urged the Golding administration to move against drug lords with POCA.
"One area in which Jamaica has tremendous opportunity to help itself is through increased use of the Proceeds of Crime Act. This act allows the Government to seize the assets of those involved in organised crime and is one of the clearest ways to demonstrate to all Jamaicans that crime does not pay," he said.
The senior US official said the Obama administration was particularly concerned about the continued flow of illegal drugs and guns between Jamaica and the United States.
"We acknowledge that more needs to be done domestically in the United States to curb both demand and access to these sources of violence," he said.
Valenzuela said the US government was working with Jamaica to stem the flow of small arms and other weapons being shipped to the island.
He said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a US law-enforcement agency, has been working to improve the country's tracking abilities.
"You (Jamaica) are part of an e-trace programme which allows our guns to be traced to the manufacturer. These are all important tools we just simply need to redouble our effort in that regard."
While the US was willing to assist Jamaica to deal with the challenges of organised crime, Valenzuela insisted that US funding should be backed by coordinated support from both the public and private sectors.