FNID head wants tougher drug penalties

Head of the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID), Senior Superintendent Patrae Rowe, is calling for tougher penalties under Jamaica's Dangerous Drugs Act to target traffickers trading ganja for guns - a deadly exchange that he says continues to fuel murders across the island.

"I believe that the Act needs to specifically deal with where ganja is trafficked in large quantities in furtherance of other crimes, such as gun-related offences," Rowe told THE STAR. "These seizures are over 1,500 pounds on each occasion. I believe that greater sanctions are necessary to act as a sufficient deterrent to these activities."

Rowe explained that while St Thomas has been the location of several recent busts, including two major operations in one week, these seizures are part of a much broader FNID effort targeting transnational drug networks.

"It's just that the seizures took place in St Thomas because criminals are transporting the drugs from as far as St Elizabeth and Westmoreland to St Thomas, which is a launching point to transship drugs to Haiti," he said.

The FNID has been racking up major successes in 2025. According to Rowe, year-to-date drug seizures amount to 31,678.23 kilogrammes of ganja valued at $209.5 million, and 837.85 kilogrammes of cocaine worth $418.9 million. In St Thomas alone, 5,582.9 kilogrammes of ganja valued at $36.9 million have been seized so far in 2025, compared to 3,230.7 kilogrammes valued at $21.3 million in 2024.

"We have strong and compelling intelligence to suggest that primarily the drugs that were seized were destined for the drugs-for-guns trade," Rowe revealed. "We are confident that appropriate linkages have been made in respect to the intent of these traffickers."

Despite the consistent successes, Rowe said the fight is being undermined by outdated penalties. The Dangerous Drugs Act, which was last amended in 2016, imposes fines and non-custodial sentences that Rowe argues are far too lenient to deter high-profit traffickers.

"Normally they are fined less than half a million dollars in some instances. These sentences are not normally custodial, so they pay the fine and go back to doing the same thing the next day," he said. "These guys are trading in big money business. They pay the fine and continue. Many of them are repeat offenders."

The current Dangerous Drugs Act allows for fines of up to $1 million and prison terms of up to five years for trafficking, but parish judges often impose lighter penalties for first-time or cooperative offenders. Rowe opined that the law must now distinguish between simple possession and large-scale trafficking linked to other crimes, such as gun smuggling.

Rowe also took aim at what he called a "dangerous sympathy" among some Jamaicans toward ganja smugglers.

"We understand that there is sympathy to the issue of ganja, but we want to say that ganja is not just a harmless plant," he warned. "It is being trafficked for guns, guns that are killing people in Jamaica. We want Jamaicans to treat the trafficking of ganja similar to how we raise alarm and disgust at shooting incidents, because they are one and the same."

Amid public scepticism that seized drugs may end up back on the streets, Rowe assured Jamaicans that FNID's operations are tightly monitored.

"The law prescribes how these drugs are to be treated in terms of disposal after the case is complete. FNID goes under robust auditing around our exhibits and how they are disposed of," he said. "We are made up of credible men and women who are subject to the highest integrity screening. Our members are periodically polygraphed to ensure that our integrity remains intact."

He urged traffickers to find legitimate means of earning an income "because FNID is bent on interrupting their ambitions to be successful at this trade".

"We will continue to seize the drugs and dismantle the syndicates that profit from Jamaica's pain."