NCJ Number
120425
Date Published
1989
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses the history and drug operations of Jamaican "posses" in the United States.
Abstract
The U.S. Justice Department estimates that organized gang activity by criminals from the Caribbean basin, particularly Jamaican nationals, has become well established in the United States since their emergence in the mid-1980's. Their presence is now nationwide, with an estimated 30 gangs or "posses" in at least 18 major U.S. cities, with a concentration on the East Coast. They have a reputation for being more violent than most street gangs, having committed an estimated 800 drug-related murders between 1984 and 1987. Although their initial trafficking was in marijuana, they were the leaders in orchestrating a quick take-over of a relatively new source of illicit drug revenue: the retail crack cocaine business. They succeeded in maintaining the entire cocaine smuggling, conversion, and subsequent crack manufacturing within their organization, thereby raising profits and lowering their risk of detection. Cities where posses are located are listed.