§ Barbara FollettTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further steps are being taken to combat the smuggling of cocaine into the UK by air passengers from Jamaica. [59245]
§ Mr. BoatengI have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Jamaica to enable joint action to combat the use of air passengers to smuggle cocaine into the UK concealed in their bodies. The UK will be providing technical assistance and intelligence support to enable the Jamaican authorities to detect potential cocaine couriers before they board flights to the UK and take appropriate enforcement action.
Action in Jamaica will be supported by increased activity by Customs here in the UK. As part of the recent Budget package, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has increased the resources available to Customs for law enforcement action at the frontier. Customs will be deploying more than 30 additional specialist anti-smuggling staff to combat a range of smuggling threats. Their first priority will be to enhance controls on flights arriving from Jamaica, focusing on identifying any couriers who have escaped detection in Jamaica and on the smuggling of cocaine in passengers' baggage and air freight.
Customs will continue to work closely with a number of police forces, including the Metropolitan police's Operation Trident team, to maximise the impact of their efforts on cocaine smuggling and on associated, often violent, criminality across the UK.