SECOND YEAR OF SUCCESS FOR OPERATION AIRBRIDGE

6 Jul 2004 11:15 AM

Customs today announced a second year of success for Operation Airbridge, the UK-Jamaica partnership set up to deter
cocaine-swallowing smuggling from Jamaica.

In the year before the launch of Operation Airbridge, the number of cocaine swallowers detected in the UK had risen rapidly to 730. With the deterrent effect produced by the operation, this number fell dramatically to 185 in the operation's first year up to June 2003, and in the last year up to June 2004, the number has been reduced further to only 41 - a total reduction of more than 90 per cent since the operation began.

After the first year of Airbridge, there was also a significant increase in the number of cocaine smugglers detected in Jamaica prior to boarding flights for the UK, up from 82 to 216. Again, due to the operation's deterrent effect, the number of smugglers intercepted at Jamaican airports up to June 2004 has fallen to 64.

Customs Minister John Healey welcomed Airbridge's continuing success, saying:

"This is a ground-breaking project that has shown what can really be achieved in tackling Class A drug smuggling through international co-operation. Airbridge has disrupted what was once a key distribution route for drug smugglers, reducing the amount of cocaine reaching our streets. We are determined to build on this success and continue to work with other Caribbean countries to take on the gangsters who run this evil trade." FCO Minister Bill Rammell said:

"The ongoing success of Operation Airbridge is a tribute to the close cooperation that the UK and Jamaica have forged in the fight against drugs and an excellent example of what can be achieved through inter-agency cooperation here in the UK. The Government is committed to tackling drugs at every step from the poppy farm or coca field to the UK streets. International cooperation is vital if we are to thwart the drug traffickers."

Home Office Minister Caroline Flint said:

"It was a joint initiative by the Home Office and Customs to cut the human misery of class A drugs entering the UK by drug mules. Not only has this reduced the amount of drugs on our streets entering via Jamaica, it has also hit the unscrupulous traffickers."

The High Commissioners in the UK and Jamaica also welcomed the latest figures. Jamaican High Commissioner Maxine Roberts said: "The continued success of Operation Airbridge demonstrates the fact that victories in the fight against the international scourge of drug trafficking are possible. It also shows the commitment of the Government of Jamaica to a programme of cooperation with the Government of the United Kingdom. We need to continue to build on this platform of cooperation to ensure that there is even closer operational collaboration and co-ordination.

"The success of Airbridge, which has dramatically reduced the flow of illegal drugs through Jamaica to the United Kingdom, is supporting the coordinated efforts to tackle other associated issues of criminality affecting the island."

Notes for editors

1. Operation Airbridge - launched on 1 June 2002 - was agreed between the British and Jamaican Govts to co-operate on tackling the large and increasing number of swallowers smuggling cocaine between Jamaica and the UK.

2. Main partners in the operation are HM Customs & Excise, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), and the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JFC).

3. The deterrent effect on cocaine-swallowing smugglers has led to significant savings for UK taxpayers. Each swallower is on average held for 4.5 days and requires 25 staff days for 24-hour cover. Prison costs average 25,000 per inmate per year.

4. HM Customs & Excise is the Government agency with foremost responsibility for preventing Class A drugs from entering the UK. Operation Airbridge is part of the overarching efforts of the Government to tackle and reduce drugs in the UK, involving the Home Office and the police, HMCE and the FCO.

5. HM Customs & Excise seized 16,786kgs of cocaine in the period April to December 2003, as reported in its Spring Report 2004 (see news release Nr1904).

If using specific facts contained in this release please check the information is still current.

Issued by HM Customs and Excise Marketing and Communications Division

Anyone with information about illegally imported drugs, tobacco or alcohol or about VAT or fuel fraud can speak to a Customs officer in complete confidence at Customs Confidential 24 hours a day on 0800 59 5000. Or fax 0800 528 0506, write to Freepost SEA9391, PO Box 100, DA12 2BR, or e-mail customs.confidential@hmce.gsi.gov.uk www.hmce.gov.uk