‘Nothing was missing’: Vaz refutes Buju Banton’s claim of stolen hurricane relief items
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz has refuted allegations made by reggae superstar Buju Banton that hurricane relief supplies sent to Jamaica were stolen at the port.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, Vaz said an immediate investigation was launched following the claims and that the findings showed no evidence of missing or tampered goods.
“Yesterday a video went viral claiming that goods went missing from a relief package that was sent. An investigation was immediately launched and, in the interest of transparency, I must share the details of the findings,” Vaz wrote.
According to the minister, the shipment in question arrived on Tuesday and was cleared immediately by the customs broker. He emphasised that the items were never stored or moved offsite, but went directly from the aircraft on the tarmac to the receiving truck.
“It went straight from the plane on the tarmac to the receiving truck sent for the items,” he said. “The customs officer who cleared the items confirmed that the pallets were sealed. The items were also cross-checked against the list provided by the sender. Nothing was missing or disturbed.”
Vaz also clarified that no stoves or Starlink devices were included in the shipment, countering specific claims made in the viral post.
Acknowledging long-standing concerns about customs operations, Vaz said while “processes have been far from perfect for many years,” each report of irregularity must be investigated on its own merit.
He added that, given the high volume of cargo flights arriving daily since Hurricane Melissa, there is no warehousing or offsite storage for most incoming relief shipments.
“In the interest of transparency, I will share the entire list of items sent and packed on the truck,” Vaz said, sharing a list of the items.
Buju Banton made the allegations in a video that has now gone viral and has been reported on by international media.
“The things are being stolen at the very port look at this. Why. Why. why,” he wrote in the caption of the post which also included a photo showing a half-filled barrel.
Other social media users shared similar stories, saying their barrels and containers with items have gone missing or arrived half empty.
