PM admits Jamaica gave go ahead for US spy plane

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has admitted that the country entered into an agreement with the United States government to carry out surveillance during the security operations in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston.

This is a change in position from yesterday's vehement denial from National Security Minister Dwight Nelson.


Nelson said he checked the records at the ministry and the Jamaica Defence Force and found no request for assistance from the U.S.

An investigative piece in the American magazine, The New Yorker, revealed that despite the Jamaican Government saying otherwise, a U.S. spy plane did in fact take surveillance imagery of Tivoli Gardens on May 24, 2010 during the security operation.

When quizzed about the issue last year, then information minister, Daryl Vaz, had denied Jamaica had received any external help.

However, the Department of Homeland Security incident report and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Authority have confirmed that the plane assisted the Jamaican Government during the Tivoli operation.

It also said that the P-3 Orion passed information to U.S law-enforcement officers stationed at the U.S. embassy, who then provided that information to Jamaican authorities.

The Tivoli operation which happened in May 2010 was designed to capture convicted drug dealer Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, and resulted in the deaths of at least 70 people.

The press conference, where Holness just made the announcement, is now underway.