3 Jamaicans charged after 980lb ganja canoe caught off West Bay
A police helicopter spotted a canoe off North West Point in West Bay, Grand Cayman, early on 24 September 2020, and the Cayman Islands Coast Guard intercepted it after three Jamaican men were seen throwing packages overboard. Officers recovered 42 packages weighing 980lbs of ganja, and the three men, aged 56, 44 and 31, were charged two days later with importation of ganja and illegal landing.
🇰🇾 North West Point, West Bay, Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands
Arrested
3
Charged
3
Cannabis
444.52 kg
Three Jamaican men aged 56, 44 and 31 were arrested and later charged after the
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the Cayman Islands Coast Guard
intercepted a drug canoe off North West Point in West Bay, Grand Cayman.[1]
The police helicopter was on an aerial patrol at about 3:50am on Thursday, 24
September 2020 when the crew spotted the vessel in the waters off North West
Point Road in West Bay.[2]The men were seen throwing items from the vessel
into the water after they saw the helicopter, and the coast guard was informed
of their location and intercepted the boat.[2]Officers recovered 42 packages
of ganja with a gross weight of 980lbs, about 444.5 kilograms.[2]Some of the
bales, wrapped in white packaging, floated to shore and were recovered by police
and members of the public on Thursday morning.[1]Cayman News Service placed
the interception at about 3:50am on 24 September 2020.[3]
On Friday, 25 September, all three men were charged with importation of ganja
and illegal landing.[2]The 44-year-old was also charged with contravention of
a deportation order.[2]The three men remained in custody and were expected to
appear in Summary Court on Monday, 28 September 2020.[2]
Photos and video
Police officers carry bags of ganja recovered along the coastline of North West Point on the morning of 24 September 2020. Photo: Andrel HarrisPhoto details
Rudolph Rambaran, a 39-year-old prison officer at HMP Northward, Grand Cayman, pleaded guilty to smuggling contraband and two counts of ganja possession after officers found 9.13 ounces on him and 6.29 ounces in his car in June 2021. He was due to be sentenced on 7 March 2022.
Police found a Jamaican-style canoe, packages of suspected ganja and two handguns with live ammunition at Spotts Beach, Grand Cayman, early on 21 May 2020. A 46-year-old Jamaican man was arrested that morning, charged two days later over the importation and supply of ganja, the firearms and his illegal landing, and remanded in custody.
Police in George Town arrested three men at a parking lot off Shedden Road shortly after 1:30am on 3 June 2019, after smelling ganja and finding small portions on two of them and several packets in their car. The car's owner, 35 and from East End, was held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply, and two West Bay men aged 34 and 21 on suspicion of possession and consumption.
Police arrested four men in George Town, Grand Cayman, on 14 February 2019 after a speeding car fled officers and police found bags containing suspected ganja estimated at over 400 pounds. The men were held on suspicion of being concerned in importation, and police said investigations continued.
