Seven people, among them three suspected drug traffickers, were arrested by local law enforcers in St James Sunday night.

The raid — conducted by the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (CTOC), and the police Narcotics Division — also resulted in the seizure of approximately 9kgs of cocaine with a local street value of approximately $14 million and a US street value of up to three times that amount.

A large quantity of cash, a number of electronic devices and a motor vehicle were also seized, MOCA said in a news release a short while ago.

According to MOCA, a team of its agents and Jamaica Constabulary Force personnel went to a premises in Montego Bay in search of a suspected drug trafficker who was wanted for questioning in connection with multiple local and international drug trafficking offences.

“During the operation, the individual and six other persons were arrested pending further investigations,” MOCA said.

“The collaborative efforts between MOCA, CTOC, the Police Narcotics and the JCF’s Technical Services Division were instrumental in this operation. It shows the strength of the partnership between the agencies in the fight against major organised crime and the shared commitment towards dismantling trans-national criminal networks,” MOCA’s Director of Communications Major Basil Jarrett said.

Jarrett also emphasised the importance of community engagement and public support, and encouraged citizens to report any information related to organised crime and corruption to MOCA’s tip hotline at 888-MOCA-TIP. The information provided by the public plays a crucial role in assisting law enforcement agencies to address organised crime effectively.