Diplomats’ chartered plane searched

[evanovitch]

Diplomats’ chartered plane searched
Friday, 15 May 2009

A charter flight carrying Cuban and local diplomats was searched by members of the Narcotics Police at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Thursday night.

<span style="font-weight: bold">RJR News understands that the searched was conducted following the receipt of a tip that passengers aboard the craft may have been involved in an international money laundering scam.</span>

The chartered flight arrived in the country at about 9pm from Cuba.

The narcotics police reportedly searched the plane after the passengers had disembarked.

Two officials from Cuba, reportedly accompanied by a senior Jamaican politician, were on board the flight.

[DiamondDave]

Re: Diplomats’ chartered plane searched

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
The narcotics police reportedly searched the plane after the passengers had disembarked.</div></div>

seems a little late for a search at that point

[sistactry]

Re: Diplomats’ chartered plane searched

is pan dis plane dem did find some whole heap a money on a passenger, like over 100,000 US$ - ????

[evanovitch]

Re: Diplomats’ chartered plane searched

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SistaCtry</div><div class="ubbcode-body">is pan dis plane dem did find some whole heap a money on a passenger, like over 100,000 US$ - ????

</div></div>




<span style="font-weight: bold">The National Security Ministry has launched a probe</span> into an incident at the Norman Manley International Airport last night involving the arrival of a private aircraft.

The permanent secretary in the National Security Ministry would not reveal any further detail.

However our sources say a prominent Jamaican politician a diplomatic passport was aboard the flight, which was coming from Cuba.

It’s reported that the politician entered the customs hall with a diplomat who was carrying a pouch.

Our source says because of the law against which gives immunity to diplomats, he could not be searched.

<span style="font-weight: bold">But the pouch, which was being carried, was electronically scanned and hundreds of thousands of US dollars were seen.</span>

It’s reported that while the authorities tried to determine how to treat the matter, the diplomat retrieved the pouch and went back on the plane, which then left the airport.

In the meantime, the police high command has released an official account that is different from the incident as related by our sources.

The high command says last night the police narcotics division and the National Intelligence Bureau/Kingfish got information that an aircraft was coming in to the island.

The High command says nine persons all with diplomatic passports were aboard the flight.

It says the nine and their luggage were searched.

According to the high command the plane was also searched but no contraband was found.

[evanovitch]

so a PJ plane dem a chat bout?


The People's National Party has rushed to dismiss reports linking its former President and former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to a Narcotics operation at the Norman Manley International Airport on Thursday night.

Basil Waite, speaking for the former Prime Minister dismissed as malicious reports that a charter flight on which the former Prime Minister was travelling was searched by a Narcotics and Customs contraband team seeking evidence of an international money laundering racket.

According to Mr. Waite, <span style="font-weight: bold">Mr. Patterson was returning from a business trip to Cuba where he had accompanied some clients from a major local and regional commercial entity.</span>

The former Prime Minister reportedly arrived in the island without incident and was allowed to disembark along with his travelling party.

&quot;He travels quite frequently even more often then when he was Prime Minister and nothing untoward happened while he was in the airport. He was quite surprised by the allegations swirling around,&quot; said Mr. Waite.

Mr. Waite is now raising the suspicion that the entire incident was the result of a prank.

&quot;I have spoken to folks in other areas of the government and the brief that they have gotten is nothing different from what I have heard. Nothing about any hundreds of thousands of US dollars, nothing about any Cuban diplomats who were turned away; nothing of the sort is coming through,&quot;

&quot;So it is quite surprising and it begs the question what kind of decoy is this supposed to be, what is it supposed to cover and who would be concocting this story and for what purpose,&quot; said Mr. Waite.

RJR has received the pilot's report from the Air Century charter flight on which Mr. Patterson and his clients were travelling.

The Gulf Airstream plane registered in the Dominican Republic was subjected to a search at ten past nine on Thursday night, after it was cleared of the half a dozen passengers on board and the three member flight crew.

The former Prime Minister carried his briefcase, the male clients had their portfolios and the two females on board, their handbags.

No other luggage was on the flight for the one day trip.

Meanwhile, head of the Narcotics Police Senior Superintendent Carlton Wilson told RJR News that members of his team conducted a search of the plane, but found no evidence of illegal activity.

&quot;I can confirm that a personal aircraft based on information that we got and after searching the aircraft we found nothing to coincide with our information. We thank the pilot who cooperated and that is all I know,&quot; said Senior Superintendent Wilson.

He said the entire incident is now under investigation.

On Thursday night members of the Narcotics Police Division backed by personnel from the Canine Division and Contraband Enforcement team conducted a search of the chartered flight on its arrival from Cuba.

[evanovitch]

Patterson, Digicel deny airport allegations



THE Government has ordered a probe into the landing of a private aircraft travelling from Cuba at the Norman Manley International Airport shortly after 9:00 Thursday night, following allegations that a diplomatic pouch containing a large sum of US dollars was aboard.


&quot;The findings of the investigations are expected to be ready for Prime Minister Bruce Golding when he returns to the island on Sunday,&quot; the Ministry of National Security said in a statement yesterday afternoon.

At the same time, telecoms giant, Digicel, which had chartered the plane that was carrying former Prime Minister P J Patterson, <span style="font-weight: bold">two of his assistants </span> ( <span style="font-style: italic">so a how many assistants him ha ...[censored]...a nuff wuk him a do fi need all dem deh assts </span> )and six employees of the cellphone provider, also called for an investigation into the matter after radio reports alleged that Cuban diplomats were among the passengers on the private jet.

&quot;We hope and recommend that this whole issue is fully investigated by the Jamaican authorities, as we are deeply concerned with the irresponsible and damaging media reports which have surfaced to date,&quot; said a statement issued by Digicel's group head of public relations, Antonia Graham.

Patterson, meanwhile, dismissed the allegations about the diplomatic pouch and about Cubans being aboard the flight.

&quot;On Thursday, May 14, I travelled by private aircraft with a <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">high level delegation</span> headed by the Group CEO of Digicel </span> and members of its technical team to hold discussions with the Ministry of Informatics and Communication in Cuba.

&quot;Digicel has been the first Caribbean operator to establish a commercial agreement with ETECSA and is seeking to expand its operations in the Cuban market.

&quot;At the conclusion of our discussions in Havana, we returned home, landing at the Norman Manley Airport at 9:10 pm. The passengers on board were those who had gone to Cuba and did not include any diplomatic personnel or anyone of Cuban nationality.

&quot;The plane conveyed no diplomatic pouch or diplomatic baggage on board.

&quot;On landing, all passengers including myself, cleared Customs and Immigration in the customary fashion. After the requisite approval had been obtained from the Customs and Immigration, we all proceeded home,&quot; said Patterson, an attorney.

He said, too, that there was no altercation between himself and any Customs or police officer at the airport nor did it become necessary at any stage for him to protest any search nor to tender any advice as to the right of searching diplomats or diplomatic pouches, since neither was present.

Said Patterson: &quot;So far as I am aware, the Customs Department and the airport police made the usual checks of the aircraft after the passengers, including myself, had left the airport premises without any concern being expressed as to the contents of whatever we all had taken for a simple one day trip.

&quot;The crew members were also permitted to proceed to their hotel as arranged in Kingston as nothing extraordinary was found either on the plane itself or on their persons,&quot; he added.

Patterson said he had chosen to state the &quot;incontrovertible facts for the public record and categorically deny the false and spurious allegations relating to [him] that others have contrived&quot;.

Digicel also said Patterson and the other passengers cleared Customs and Immigration in the usual way and left the airport with no issues at all.

&quot;To be absolutely clear, there were no Cuban nationals on board the Digicel-chartered plane. Further, we have no knowledge whatsoever of any dispute at the airport, nor are we aware of any alleged diplomatic pouch on board,&quot; said Digicel.

The cellphone provider said media reports about alleged suspicious activities following the landing of its chartered plane were totally inconsistent with anything it saw or experienced.