THE marine police say they are treating the death of a diver, who was fished yesterday morning from Gordon Cay in the Kingston Harbour, as highly suspicious.

The man, who was still unidentified up to press time, had severe trauma to his head. However, the police said they were unable to confirm if he was murdered or if he hit his head against a rock while diving from a ship.

Detective Corporal L Gayle of the Marine Police Division told the Observer that the death was ‘highly suspicious’, although officers were yet to prove if the diver had any connection to the illegal drug trade.

“At this point the suspicion is very high as to what activities the diver was involved in at the time of his death, but we are still investigating to find out exactly what happened,” the police corporal said.

The police, however, confirmed that a rope found around the body of the diver was similar to that found tied to the canister of compressed ganja which was recovered by the police over the weekend after it floated to the surface.

The unidentified diver is believed to have been in the water for at least two days before the body was recovered yesterday morning by members of the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard’s dive team.

According to a statement from the JDF Coast Guard, a saw and an adjustable spanner found on the body was believed to be used in securing canisters containing drugs to vessels.

“The JDF will continue to assist the nation’s ports by providing security in the continued effort to combat the illegal drug trade,” the army statement said.

A highly placed source at Kingston Wharves told the Observer that the body was found clad in a modern dive suit with all the necessary apparatus. The source noted that a similar suit was also found in the Gordon Cay area, which suggested that there could have been two divers.

“We don’t know if he was killed because he lost the canister which floated to the surface over the weekend or if his death was accidental,” the source said.

A ‘video ray’ machine used to search the hull of ships departing Kingston Wharves has detected illegal drugs 12 times in the past three months, putting a small dent in the very lucrative drug trade and acting as a deterrent to divers involved in this practice.