cannabisnews.com: Visa Move To Stem Drug Trade Visa Move To Stem Drug Trade Posted by FoM on February 10, 2002 at 19:40:04 PT By Alan Travis, Home Affairs Editor Source: Guardian Unlimited All Jamaican visitors to Britain will be required to obtain a visa before they travel, under a Home Office plan being considered in an fresh attempt to clampdown on crack cocaine smuggling. The step, which will affect more than 400,000 people who travel every year from Jamaica, many of them to visit relatives in Britain, will spark an outcry among the black community in Britain that they are being unfairly targeted. Whitehall sources con firmed to the Guardian last night that the move is being considered and comes amid mounting alarm within the police over the level of Jamaican Yardie-style shootings, particularly in London. No decision has been taken by the home secretary, David Blunkett, and a Home Office spokeswoman would only say last night: "We keep all visa requirements under constant review." Only last month Phil Sinkinson, the deputy high commissioner in Jamaica, claimed that one in 10 passengers flying from Jamaica to Britain were actually drug mules, many of them women. He said desperate poverty was the motivation for many couriers, who were single mothers. "If you consider you have a BA flight and an Air Jamaica flight going out every day, more or less, you need tremendous resources to screen every passenger." He said as much as 30kg (66lb) of cocaine was being smuggled on every flight from Jamaica. The passengers were carrying them in plastic bags they had swallowed. The Metropolitan police backed up the claim and said they believed half the crack cocaine being sold in Britain came from Jamaica. More than 40 people were arrested and £250,000 of crack cocaine seized from two recent flights alone to Heathrow and Gatwick. The imposition of a visa regime will make it harder for casual drug smugglers to simply step on a plane, and will also give the police and immigration authorities a chance to track the whereabouts of some of those believed to be involved in the drug trade and tackle overstayers. But it will also mean that the 90% of other passengers will have to apply for a visa before visits to Britain. The refusal of visas for family visits including weddings and funerals is already a major source of complaint within the Indian and Pakistani communities in Britain. Jamaican families may face similar difficulties when the visa regime comes in. The flow of visitors from the Caribbean to Britain has nearly tripled in the past 10 years as air fares have dropped. Last year, according to the Office of National Statistics, more than 1.7m jour neys were made between Britain and the Caribbean. An increase in drug-related gun crime in London has prompted the Home Office to consider the move. Some 20 of the 36 shootings in the capital last year involved "black-on-black" incidents and the police believe many are linked to turf wars between Jamaican Yardie gangs attempting to control the crack cocaine trade. Note: Jamaica does not impose a visa regime on visitors from the Commonwealth, Europe or North America, with the exception of visitors from Nigeria. Note: Home Office plan prompted by mounting police alarm over Jamaican Yardie-style shootings. Special Report: Drugs in Britain: http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/0,2759,178206,00.htmlSource: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Author: Alan Travis, Home Affairs EditorPublished: Monday, February 11, 2002Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles:Clash Over Jamaican Drug Smuggling Claims http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11680.shtmlRecord Rise in Hard Drugs Smuggled into UK http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11652.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by goneposthole on February 11, 2002 at 05:53:16 PT bookreading The government wouldn't read those books unless they could receive a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.In which case their only goal would be to stuff themselves, disregarding any comprehension or retention of content.Incoherent babbling baboons is what they are and what we have to put up with day in and day out. What buffoons.Governing to them is caging people, nothing more, nothing less. Statism at its finest, all bought and paid for by the largest group of suckers known to man, the taxpayers.My 500 million trillion dollars worth, for now, anyway. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on February 11, 2002 at 03:44:34 PT Let's start a book drive for the Home Office An increase in drug-related gun crime in London has prompted the Home Office to consider the move. Some 20 of the 36 shootings in the capital last year involved "black-on-black" incidents and the police believe many are linked to turf wars between Jamaican Yardie gangs attempting to control the crack cocaine trade. We should send them books on Al Capone and the rise of organized crime due to Alcohol Prohibition in America.I suppose we should send a few to our own government too. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment