标签： Jamaica

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Western Parks and Markets (WPM), the regional operating division of Jamaica’s National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), has announced that it expects to fully eliminate persistent smoke plaguing the Retirement Disposal Site by late Friday. The incident began a week prior, when reports of an underground fire broke out at the landfill last Saturday, triggering thick smoke that drifted across multiple residential communities in the Montego Bay area. While the open flames of the fire were brought under control within days, the smoldering debris has continued to emit problematic smoke that has disrupted daily life for local residents for nearly a week.

Speaking to local outlet Jamaica Observer Friday morning, WPM Regional Manager Dramaine Jones shared that overnight and Thursday rainfall had already dampened the last remaining active flames and reduced the volume of smoke emanating from the site. Still, he confirmed that the agency’s top priority is full elimination of the smoke nuisance by the end of Friday afternoon. Jones first laid out this timeline during a regular monthly council meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation Thursday, where he noted that containment would depend on favorable weather conditions. He told attendees Thursday that a lack of additional heavy rain would allow combined teams from WPM and the local fire department to access the affected areas fully, clearing all smoke by the close of the day.

Jones clarified that the affected areas are two zones designated for storing construction and landscape debris collected through the NSWMA’s Debris Management Programme, plus oversized bulky waste collected from across the region. He also outlined the key challenges that have extended the cleanup and containment operation far longer than initially expected. Two consecutive afternoons of heavy rain created a dual-edged problem for response teams: while the precipitation helped extinguish open flames and dampen smoldering debris, it also left the entire work area waterlogged and extremely soft. This soggy terrain left heavy response vehicles frequently stuck when attempting to reach the center of the affected zone, slowing progress dramatically.

To adapt to these conditions, Jones explained, WPM has adjusted its operational workflow to start work each day much earlier than usual. By starting at first light, crews can take full advantage of dry, warm daylight hours to move equipment and treat the affected areas before afternoon rains typically arrive. This shift has already yielded visible progress, Jones said, reducing the impact of smoke on nearby communities. As of Friday, crews have worked through roughly 35 to 45 percent of the one-acre affected area, and overall smoke output has dropped to an estimated 25 percent of the levels seen at the peak of the incident.

Looking ahead, Jones confirmed that the long-term solution for the site will follow the agency’s original pre-fire plan: the entire affected area has already been graded and flattened during preparation for capping, and once the smoldering is fully extinguished, crews will simply apply a protective covering material to seal the site and prevent any future smoke or fire issues.

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — As large-scale development accelerates across Jamaica’s Trelawny parish, the local municipal government is sounding the alarm over a growing wave of illegal land encroachment and fraudulent property reselling that threatens to upend orderly growth in the region. At the regular monthly gathering of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) held Thursday, Falmouth Mayor and Councillor C Junior Gager issued a sharp public warning, urging all landowners across the parish to step up vigilance against bad actors illegally seizing and subdividing private property for profit.

Gager told attendees that the TMC has received multiple formal complaints about land grabbing incidents across different communities in Trelawny, including the district of Scarlet Hall, where schemers have repeatedly targeted unmonitored private land. He explained that these illegal activities often fly under the radar of municipal authorities until the encroachment has already advanced significantly, leaving rightful owners and regulators scrambling to address the damage.

“Right now, we are seeing repeated cases where unscrupulous individuals enter private land, carry out unofficial surveys, and lay claim to property that does not belong to them,” Gager said during the meeting. “More often than not, our officers only find out about these illegal subdivisions long after the work has been done.”

The mayor stressed that without immediate action from landowners and stronger oversight, Trelawny risks sliding into widespread disorganization as illegal squatting and unregulated development spreads. He urged both large and small landholders to implement routine checks of their holdings to catch encroachment early.

“I am appealing to large landowners to assign someone to patrol your property at least once a month; take a drive around your land and check for any unauthorized activity,” Gager said. “Small landowners need to do the same – you cannot afford to ignore what is happening on your own land.”

Gager warned that unregulated illegal development creates unsafe, unplanned communities that lack proper infrastructure: without formal roads, the areas cannot be effectively patrolled by police, and emergency services cannot access properties in crisis. He added that even landowners will face official action when illegal construction is discovered, noting “when our team goes to serve eviction notices on these illegal structures, we also have to notify the legal landowner, because as the title holder, you have a responsibility to monitor your property. We cannot allow Trelawny to become a parish defined by chaos and squatting.”

To illustrate how brazen these land-grabbing schemes have become, Gager shared details of a recent high-profile incident in Scarlet Hall, where a large landowner discovered that a man from St Catherine had started clearing his property for illegal subdivision. In that case, the encroacher exploited a single year of missed property tax payment by the rightful owner: the schemer paid the outstanding one-year tax bill, then tried to use the receipt as fraudulent proof of ownership to claim the entire parcel of prime real estate.

“To show you how cunning these people are, a large landowner – who we are not identifying – got word that heavy equipment was on his property clearing land,” Gager explained. “He blocked the access road and went to investigate, and found an excavator clearing his prime land to be split up and sold illegally. The rightful owner had paid his taxes consistently for years, but missed payment for just one year. That was all the window the schemer needed – they paid that single year’s tax, and claimed that gave them full right to the land. They planned to subdivide it, make a huge profit, then disappear.”

Under Jamaican law, individuals can legally claim ownership of a property through adverse possession if they occupy the land without challenge for at least 12 consecutive years. Gager noted that simple preventative steps, such as putting up clearly visible “no trespassing” signs, can block these claims and protect a landowner’s title.

Beyond warning current landowners, Gager also urged prospective property buyers to carry out full due diligence before completing any land purchase, noting that buying fraudulently listed land can lead to total loss of investment.

“If you cut corners on verifying ownership, you stand to lose not just the land, but every dollar you put into building a home or developing the property,” he said. “I hope people will take this warning seriously. Stay vigilant.”

The mayor also warned buyers to be deeply suspicious of deals that seem too good to be true, calling these obvious fraudulent schemes run by organized criminal actors. “There is no seafront land in Trelawny selling for $600,000 per lot – everyone knows that cannot be real. These are criminals running sophisticated scams. When you see a seafront lot that looks like a steal, and you hand over your hard-earned $600,000 as full payment, you are walking straight into a trap that will leave you with nothing,” he added.

A public dispute over child protection obligations has erupted between the head of Jamaica’s largest teachers’ union and the nation’s education minister, centered on unconfirmed allegations of inappropriate sexual activity by disaster shelter residents that was allegedly visible to students on school grounds.

A manhunt for the armed men filmed in a viral social media clip opening fire in Jamaica’s Corporate Area community of Jarrett Lane dramatically ramped up this Wednesday, with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) confirming 12 people have been taken into custody and multiple pieces of illegal contraband seized during targeted residential searches. The aggressive law enforcement operation was triggered after a 45-second video circulating online since Tuesday captured the group discharging multiple rounds into the air above a gathered crowd, prompting senior police officials to order an immediate, coordinated response.

Leading the operation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Michael Phipps outlined that the sweep kicked off at approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, bringing together more than 100 trained law enforcement officers from three specialized units: the Kingston Eastern Division, Area 4 Fugitive Apprehension Team, and the Specialised Operations Division. Over the course of the day, teams carried out synchronized search warrants across 12 separate properties spanning 42 individual homes throughout the Jarrett Lane neighborhood.

During the searches, officers uncovered a haul of incriminating evidence alongside controlled substances. “We recovered a quantity of ganja, five 5.6-millimeter cartridges designed for high-powered rifles including the M16, multiple spent bullet casings, an empty high-capacity rifle magazine, and what are known as lead sheets, which are tied to offences under the Law Reform Act,” Phipps explained in an exclusive interview with Jamaica Observer. “Based on the evidence found, we have arrested 12 people on suspicion of criminal involvement,” he added.

The materials recovered tie into the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act, widely referred to locally as the Lottery Scam Act, legislation crafted specifically to target large-scale fraud schemes and identity theft operations. Key crimes covered under the act include theft and trafficking of personal access information, obtaining funds through false pretenses, intimidation of scam victims, and operating residential properties to facilitate fraudulent activity.

Lead sheets, a core piece of evidence for these cases, are detailed documents that compile full personal information of potential scam targets: including full names, residential addresses, phone numbers, United States Social Security numbers, private banking details, and other sensitive data that scammers use to manipulate vulnerable people into sending money under false pretenses.

Phipps made clear that the JCF will not end its efforts until the armed men seen in the viral video are taken into custody, alongside rooting out all other criminal networks operating within the Jarrett Lane community. “This operation is a critical win because the seizure of ammunition and these fraudulent materials will significantly disrupt the criminal operations based out of 72 Mountain View Avenue, the hub of activity in the Jarrett Lane area,” Phipps noted.

The senior police official also issued a stark nationwide warning to any other individuals engaged in or considering joining criminal activity across Jamaica, emphasizing that the JCF will move quickly to apprehend anyone breaking the law. “We are telling any person thinking of following this path not to get involved. The men seen firing these weapons will be hunted relentlessly, and we will take every necessary action to send a clear message: this kind of reckless, dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in this country,” Phipps said.

He reaffirmed the JCF’s long-standing commitment to safeguarding Jamaican communities and clearing illegal firearms and ammunition from the nation’s streets. “As I have always said, and I want to make this crystal clear: the reckless display of gunfire that these men showed in that video is something the Jamaica Constabulary Force will not accept in any way, shape, or form,” Phipps stressed. As of Wednesday evening, investigations remain active and ongoing, with detectives continuing to collect evidence and track down all persons connected to the public weapons discharge incident.

In St Catherine, Jamaica, a 67-year-old farmer has walked free after 10 months of detainment at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, brought about by the targeted intervention of international charity Food For The Poor (FFP) through the organization’s specialized prison outreach program.

The elderly man’s entanglement with the justice system began in early 2025, when a long-simmering family disagreement over inherited land devolved into a contempt of court charge. The conflict stemmed from his claim to a rightful portion of the property left by his deceased father, despite the late parent’s legally binding will that bequeathed the entire parcel to his brother. When the man refused to vacate the land in compliance with a formal court order, the judiciary issued a $114,000 fine. With no financial means to cover the penalty, he was taken into custody and remained behind bars for 10 months.

After learning of the man’s case through local community outreach networks, Food For The Poor moved quickly to coordinate relief. The organization drew on pooled contributions from its donors to settle the full outstanding fine, a move that triggered the man’s immediate release and resulted in all related contempt charges being formally cleared from his record.

Looking beyond securing his release, FFP has enrolled the recently freed man in its flagship Fresh Start Programme, an initiative under the charity’s prison ministry that was created specifically to support former inmates as they work to rebuild their lives after incarceration. As a lifelong farmer by trade, the man will first complete a personalized needs assessment interview to identify the specific barriers he faces in reintegrating into community life and restarting his livelihood. Following the assessment, he will receive targeted practical support tailored to his agricultural work, which may include starter kits of seeds, fertilizer, hand tools, or other essential farming supplies.

Former inmates across Jamaica and the Caribbean frequently face systemic barriers to securing stable employment and housing after release, a reality that often increases rates of recidivism and leaves people transitioning out of prison trapped in cycles of poverty and justice involvement. The Fresh Start Programme was designed to directly address this gap, offering individualized support rather than one-size-fits-all assistance to empower released people to rebuild independence. By providing concrete resources and wraparound support, FFP aims to ensure that people like the 67-year-old farmer get a meaningful second chance to regain personal stability, financial independence, and social dignity after incarceration.