KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has said that the trade in illegal drugs and guns has driven crime in the region and stopped short of calling on countries where guns and drugs are produce to do more to stem the flow.

Simpson Miller’s comments came during her contribution to the United Nations Security Council Debate about the Peace and Security Challenges of Small Island Developing States in New York

“It is well-known that we do not manufacture weapons or drive the demand for drugs, yet they find their way to our shores,” Simpson Miller said.

“Jamaica and the wider CARICOM region, transnational organised crime represents the gravest threat to our peace and security. Extensive, open coastlines facilitate various forms of illicit trafficking in drugs, arms, ammunition and people, particularly women and children,” Simpson-Miller said.

She added: “Our location makes us a prime transit route for international narco-traffickers. If that was not the case, the overall level of crime in the Caribbean would be similar to what obtains in low-crime countries. This fact is supported by the UNDP’s Caribbean Human Development Report.”