Operation Kingfish marks first year with 4,300 lb of ganja seized
After its first year, Jamaica's Operation Kingfish had seized about 4,300 pounds of ganja alongside 12 tonnes of cocaine, destroyed 7 hectares of ganja, 225,000 seedlings and 13 nurseries, and arrested 235 people. The task-force head and the national security minister presented the results as a major dent in organised crime.
One year after its launch against organised crime, Jamaica’s Operation Kingfish had seized about 4,300 pounds of ganja and 12 metric tonnes of cocaine, task-force head Assistant Commissioner Glenmore Hinds told the Jamaica Information Service.[1]The operation had also destroyed 7 hectares of fully grown ganja plants, about 225,000 seedlings and 13 nurseries, and had seized illegal weapons and destroyed three drug-trafficking airstrips.[1]
National Security Minister Peter Phillips gave the same first-year account in a national broadcast, saying over 12 metric tonnes of cocaine, unspecified quantities of hash oil and over 4,000 pounds of compressed ganja had been seized.[2]He said the task force had arrested 235 people for murders, firearms, drugs and ammunition offences and apprehended 32 wanted persons.[2]Hinds said key players in the criminal networks were among those arrested and called the year a precise meeting of the task force’s mandate.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Police and the JDF Coast Guard seized over 2,000 pounds of ganja from a canoe near Alligator Pond, St Elizabeth on March 3. Four men on board were charged with possession, dealing, trafficking and export-related ganja offences.
The Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard intercepted a vessel southwest of Long Bay Beach, Manchester, seizing over 2,286 pounds of marijuana valued at about $45 million. Four people were detained and handed over with the drugs to the police narcotics division for processing.
Police intercepted two cars on the Pamphret main road in St Thomas on September 26, 2025, seizing 1,600 pounds of compressed ganja in 33 bags. Two men were arrested and charged with possession, dealing, export-preparation and trafficking offences.
Three men are being prosecuted over 1,890 pounds (about 857 kg) of compressed ganja that police said they were taking to a Jamaican port on 15 August 2025. Two were granted $1 million bail, the third stayed in lockup, and the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court set 6 January 2026 for case management.
