By Kimone Witter
The government has provided security and justice officials in the United States with the names of Jamaican criminals residing in the North American country.
The individuals have been identified as being behind the directing, soliciting and financing of crime in Jamaica.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged US officials to help find, prosecute and deport the criminals.
Mr. Holness, who was addressing a meeting of senior officials of the United States Justice Department on Thursday, noted the cooperation both countries have enjoyed.
He said Jamaica intended to use that relationship to "try and tackle a part of the problem for which we have no reach" by soliciting the help of the US to intercept criminals who have migrated to that country and used the cover of their residence to influence and fund crime in Jamaica.
Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson, who was also at the meeting, noted that closer cooperation will ensure criminals do not feel they have a safe haven in the United States from which to sponsor crime in Jamaica.
He warned wrongdoers that the relationship between law enforcement across the countries "is stronger than your relation as criminals".
The high-level meeting of law enforcement and security agencies was held to discuss the growing threat of transnational criminal gangs, organised criminal violence and the trafficking of illegal guns into Jamaica.
War on illegal guns
Prime Minister Holness said a war needs to be declared on illegal guns.
Mr. Holness noted that 90 per cent of the illegal guns in Jamaica, including AR 15s, are trafficked from the United States.
He requested that Jamaican traffickers and guns destined for Jamaica be given priority attention under a Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed in the US Congress in June.
The Act creates a legal framework to interdict and prosecute people illegally exporting guns from the United States.
Mr. Holness argued that while the US has no war on guns, the war on drugs is a "two-way train" in that drugs enter that country while guns come out.
He explained that these guns are then used to "protect the turf where the drugs land for transshipment and safe passage to United States".
"The gangs are ineffective if they have no gun. So the guns come in primarily for the drug trade, to protect turf, but then they end up being used as tools to resolve intimate partner violence, domestic violence; they become guns to create mayhem, for extortion," he said of Jamaica's situation.
The US officials expressed their commitment to greater crime fighting collaboration with Jamaica, while noting the increase in extradition of criminals from Jamaica who are wanted in the US.
