Jamaica continues to grapple with its dual role as both “a significant producer of illicit drugs and a key transit country for narcotics destined for North America and Europe,” according to the 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) released recently by the U.S. Department of State.
The annual report, compiled by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, singles out Jamaica as the Caribbean’s largest cannabis producer, with “expansive rural areas” used for cultivation. At the same time, the island’s location makes it a critical transshipment point for cocaine moving out of South America, “especially Colombia,” to the United States.
The report notes that “Jamaican criminal networks are often linked to transnational organized crime and facilitate drug trafficking via air and maritime routes.” Despite the ongoing challenges, the Jamaican government “continues to prioritize bilateral collaboration to address the critical security risks posed by both firearms and drug trafficking.”
In 2024, Jamaican law enforcement made major drug seizures, including the largest cocaine bust in the nation’s history—2.5 metric tons in Havendale. Altogether, authorities confiscated over 3.18 metric tons of cocaine and 18.07 metric tons of marijuana last year.
But these victories are tempered by continued logistical and institutional limitations. “Jamaica’s lack of adequate air and maritime assets limits the ability to effectively intercept these exchanges,” the report states. The U.S. also flagged persistent issues at the island’s ports, where “commercial containers [are] disappearing each month” due to “leadership turnover and vacancies within the port authority.”
The report further highlights a growing threat from firearms trafficking, particularly in connection with Haiti. “Evidence of an active exchange of guns and drugs between Jamaica and Haiti… exacerbates local crime and violence, fueling organized criminal activities on both islands,” the document reads.
Corruption in Jamaica also a concern
Corruption remains a major concern. While the U.S. government acknowledges that Jamaica “does not, as a matter of policy, encourage or facilitate illicit drug production or distribution,” it emphasizes that “internal conspiracies involving customs officials and law enforcement personnel allow traffickers to exploit vulnerabilities.” In 2024, several “high-profile corruption cases highlighted the complicity of public officials in drug trafficking operations.”
The report does credit Jamaica with taking steps to regulate marijuana through its Cannabis Licensing Authority, which was formed after marijuana was decriminalized in 2015. As of November 30, 2024, a total of 162 licenses had been issued for medical and scientific marijuana production.
Public education and addiction treatment remain under-resourced. The Ministry of Health’s National Council on Drug Abuse “expanded its prevention programs, targeting at-risk populations, including adolescents.” Still, “the country’s treatment infrastructure remains underdeveloped, with only one detoxification center and limited drug treatment facilities.”
The United States, through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), has continued to bolster Jamaica’s drug enforcement capabilities by offering “training, technical assistance, equipment, and logistical support.” This partnership, according to the State Department, has “led to notable achievements, including significant drug seizures and improved maritime security.”
Ultimately, the report concludes that Jamaica’s ability to address these challenges will depend on strengthening institutions, especially at the ports, and addressing endemic corruption. “Jamaica needs to prioritize institutional accountability, leadership stability, and oversight at its ports,” the report asserts, while stressing that “the U.S. partnership will remain crucial in dismantling organized crime networks.”
US flags Jamaica as top Caribbean drug producer and transit point
