MONTEGO BAY, St James — The police yesterday recovered 23 kilograms of hash oil, valued at approximately $69 million, and a quantity of marijuana in a major operation covering several premises in Mount Salem and the swanky West Gate Hills community of St James yesterday. Cash amounting to $1.3 million was also seized.

Five persons, including a foreign national, were detained during the raids which started at about 5:00 am yesterday and was still ongoing up until late yesterday.

The operation was led by members of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Task Force (MOCA) and the Financial Investigations Division (FID).

According to MOCA’s liaison officer, Inspector Dahlia Garrick, two of the five detainees are expected to be charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

In the meantime, Inspector Garrick disclosed that the operations will continue today when the persons who have been detained are expected to be processed.

Established in 2012, MOCA targets criminal kingpins and their facilitators, including public sector officials, who are accustomed to operating with impunity. A key strategy of MOCA is to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to forfeit the illicit assets of its targets.