NCJ Number
159293
Journal
Washington Post Dated: (February 23, 1988) Pages: 93-98
Date Published
1988
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article discusses law enforcement efforts to arrest members of Jamaican drug gangs, or posses, operating in the U.S.
Abstract
Jamaican posses are powerful organized crime groups. While law enforcement officials have identified 30 posses nationwide, arrests and prosecutions have been limited to individual members as opposed to entire criminal enterprises. According to this article, local police and prosecutors have coordinated their efforts with Federal drug enforcement, immigration, and firearms agents to investigate 21 cases, some of which involved multiple homicides. The article, drawing upon interviews with Federal and local police representatives, as well as official intelligence reports and court documents, discusses the involvement of Jamaican posses with cocaine distribution and violent crime, and the difficulties police have encountered in infiltrating these gangs.