Police boat sinks at Old Harbour Bay

A police boat was partially submerged in the Old Harbour Bay area of St Catherine yesterday after after it developed mechanical problems.

Details of the incident were sketchy at press time last night.

Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay told THE WEEKEND STAR that the officers who were on board the vessel managed to prevent the boat from sinking.

Lindsay said the team was on routine patrol in the area when the boat began to sink.

"Old Harbour Bay is one of the areas we have under constant patrol because of the vulnerability and the intelligence that we have," she said.

The police have identified the area as route used by criminals in the guns for drugs trade between Jamaica and Haiti.

The marine police is charged with the responsibility of patroling Jamaica's waters to prevent the flow of contrabands such a drugs and guns.

In May, the unit seized just 230.9 lbs of ganja during an operation on Pelican Cay. The drugs have an estimated street value of just over $1.4 million.

A few days earlier, the same police unit seized drugs with an estimated street value of just under $4 million.

Three men, including a Haitian national were arrested in connection with that seizure.