Readout of U.S. Justice Department Senior Officials Trip to Jamaica

On Feb. 6 and 7, Deputy Assistant Attorney General (DAAG) Arun G. Rao of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Associate Deputy Attorney General (ADAG) and U.S. Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions Michael P. Ben’Ary visited Kingston, Jamaica, to meet with senior officials from the Government of Jamaica and discuss security and law enforcement challenges and our shared interest in strengthening U.S.-Jamaican cooperation in these areas.

DAAG Rao and ADAG Ben’Ary speak to Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

On this visit, they met with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his chief of staff to discuss our shared priorities of combating firearms trafficking and transnational fraud schemes connected to violence in Jamaica, as well as our commitment to further engagement and partnership on these important issues. They also met with U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica N. Nick Perry and other U.S. Embassy leadership and held a roundtable discussion with representatives of key U.S. government agencies based in Kingston focused on law enforcement issues.

While in Kingston, DAAG Rao and ADAG Ben’Ary spoke at the 2024 Security Seminar on “Organized Violence and the Threat to Peace in Jamaica and the Region,” sponsored by the Office of the National Security Advisor. Jamaican Prime Minister Holness and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Horace Chang also delivered remarks at the conference. DAAG Rao highlighted the importance of international cooperation to successfully prosecuting those responsible for online fraud schemes and combating the violence associated with these criminal organizations. ADAG Ben’Ary highlighted the close security partnerships between U.S. and Jamaican law enforcement, the importance of firearms tracing to identify, disrupt, and dismantle firearms trafficking networks, and the steps that the Government of Jamaica and other Caribbean partners can take to increase joint efforts to counter illegal firearms trafficking.

DAAG Rao speaks about consumer frauds at Security Seminar in Kingston.

This visit by senior U.S. Justice Department officials follows Jamaican Prime Minister Holness’ visit to Washington, D.C. in December 2023 and reinforces our commitment to advance bilateral cooperation by combating transnational criminal organizations and the trafficking of drugs and firearms, strengthening cooperation to prevent online financial fraud schemes, and promoting regional security under Plan Secure Jamaica and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. Disrupting illicit firearms trafficking in the Caribbean is a shared priority for the United States and our Caribbean partners, and an important aspect of our cooperation to address rising levels of crime and violence in the region.

The longstanding U.S.-Jamaica relationship is built on mutual respect, common interests, and shared cooperation, and this visit helped build on that partnership. We look forward to continuing our productive relationship with Jamaican law enforcement in the mutually beneficial efforts to investigate and disrupt fraud networks and arms trafficking in Jamaica.

ADAG Ben’Ary provides overview on firearms trafficking at Security Seminar in Kingston.