Colombian, two Jamaicans charged after 1,172kg cocaine bust off southern coast

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Three men, one of them a Colombian national, have been slapped with a raft of narcotics charges after the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard intercepted a boat laden with suspected cocaine off the island's southern coast last week.

Those charged are Jonothan Daluqua Latarda, 48, a fisherman of Riococha, Colombia; Delbert Passelle, 48, otherwise called "Glen," a boat captain of Cove district, Lucea, Hanover; and Leroy Donovan Holding, 42, otherwise called "Bud," a fisherman of Poorman's Corner, Yallahs, in St Thomas.

Each of the three is facing counts of possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, trafficking cocaine, importing cocaine, and conspiracy to import cocaine. Latarda, the Colombian national, has also been booked for illegal entry.

According to investigators, the charges flow from a joint operation carried out on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, when JDF Coast Guard members stopped a vessel some 20 miles off Portland Ridge. The team, said to have been on routine maritime patrol, apprehended the occupants on reasonable suspicion of breaching the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Lawmen reportedly recovered 37 knitted bags holding 1,053 rectangular parcels of a substance resembling cocaine. The haul tipped the scales at roughly 1,172.4 kilogrammes and carries an estimated street value of J$703 million.

The boat, the three suspects, and the contraband were taken to the JDF Coast Guard Base at Port Royal, Kingston, where personnel from the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) were called in. Forensic investigators attached to the FNID later processed the scene, examining and documenting the contents of the bags in the presence of the accused.

On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, buccal swabs were taken from each of the men while they were held at the Kingston Central Police Station, and they were subsequently charged.

The trio is slated to appear in the Corporate Area Criminal Court on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 10:00 am. Investigations remain active.