Jamaican fishermen have been lured in increasing numbers to aid drug dealers moving cocaine into the U.S., according to AP wire reports. Operating outboard powered 18-foot boats, the fishermen make regular pickups at prearranged spots a few miles offshore and occasionally are called upon to retrieve floating parcels of drugs from the sea, when these are jettisoned by traffickers fleeing U.S. and Jamaican coast guard patrols. The majority of the drugs are shipped on slim vessels outfitted with powerful engines that can travel from the northern coast of Colombia to Jamaica in about a day. From Jamaica the drugs usually are smuggled into the U.S. in smaller portions, aboard aircraft and ships. Many of the fishermen look to better the lives of themselves and their family, beyond the economics of what a life as a fisherman provides. With official unemployment figures at 15 percent and actual levels much higher, there is no shortage of carriers. Whether buying a new engine for their boats, or sending their children to better schools, the new shoes, clothes, and other moneyed items are easy to spot by other locals. However, there is a reluctance to report suspected fishermen-turned-smugglers to the authorities because of potential repercussions from drug cartels.

Jamaica has seen an increase in traffic in part due to more effective law enforcement operations in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, which have caused cartels to reroute traffic. Located halfway between Florida and Columbia and having a network of drug smuggling allies, Jamaica has been a natural choice. The increase in traffic is reflected in seizures, which have doubled to 5,500 lbs. from last year. The one-boatload of cocaine a week intercepted by authorities last year has now risen to three or four per week. Authorities estimate only a fifth of the cocaine passing through Jamaica is intercepted. A kilogram of cocaine fetches $6,000 in Jamaica, although local consumption is low. While smuggling activities are up, cocaine use has not flourished among Jamaicans -- partly because the popular, marijuana-consuming Rastafarians despise the drug. Most instead is smuggled to the United States, where a kilogram sells for $20,000.