1,156 pounds of marijuana seized in a Port of Kingston container
Customs officers found 1,156.2 pounds of marijuana, worth about J$5.78 million at street prices, in packages inside a container at the Port of Kingston in November 2018. No arrest was reported, and the Border Protection Division and the police Narcotics Division were investigating.
Customs officers seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana at the Port of
Kingston on Friday, 2 November 2018.[1]The Jamaica Customs Agency said
officers found 15 packages containing the drug in a container during a routine
patrol of the port.[1]
The agency said the parcels held vegetable matter that a field test identified
as marijuana weighing 1,156.2 pounds, with an approximate street value of
$5,781,000.[1]
No arrest had been made in connection with the seizure, according to the Jamaica
Observer.[1]
In a separate account, the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council reported
that members of the Jamaica Customs Agency’s Contraband Enforcement Team and the
Narcotics Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force found the shipment while
inspecting containers and detected seal discrepancies.[2]That account
described 11 duffle bags holding 338 packages and put the weight at 2,525.8
pounds with an estimated street value of more than J$8 million.[2]
The matter is being investigated by the Border Protection Division of the
Jamaica Customs Agency and the Narcotics Division of the Jamaica Constabulary
Force.[1]
Photos and video
Photo published with the Jamaica Observer report on the seizure of 1,156.2 pounds of marijuana at the Port of Kingston; no credit or further caption was given.Photo details
Sources give different figures for the same seizure: the Jamaica Observer reports 15 packages, 1,156.2 lbs and a street value of $5,781,000, while the CCLEC account reports 338 packages, 2,525.8 lbs and more than J$8 million. The report uses the Observer's figures for weight and value because they are the more detailed and explicitly attributed account.
The Observer does not state the currency of $5,781,000; it is treated as Jamaican dollars but not confirmed.
No further identifying detail about the container, such as its origin, destination or consignee, was reported in the opened sources.
Neither account names a suspected owner or shipper of the consignment, and no later charges or outcome of the investigation were reported.
The CCLEC item gives no publication date beyond describing the seizure as occurring 'yesterday'; the date shown is taken from its archive listing and is approximate.
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.
