Hellshire Beach, which a Portmore politician has labelled the mother of all drugs-for-guns locations across the island. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

A Portmore, St Catherine politician has revealed that most Sunshine City residents will not speak openly about the illicit drugs-for-guns trade being transacted at Hellshire Beach because they are deathly afraid of the consequences.

The politician, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the beach is used for all matters immoral.

"Everything that is bad happens on the beach, and one of the reasons that nobody will intervene is because the threat is heavy.

"If you write a piece in The Gleaner about Hellshire Beach and quote anybody, 'memba dem nuh last two days," the politician said.

Efforts to get comments from Gladston Whyte, president of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen's Co-operative, and Fitz Jackson, member of parliament for South St Catherine, were unsuccessful.

Mum's the word

Proving the claims made by the politician true, the operator of a facility located on the Hellshire Beach, told The Gleaner that she would not comment on the illicit trade.

"I have nothing to say on that. One has to be careful because you have a thing name backlash," the operator said.

The situation is so bad that the political representative has stopped visiting the Hellshire Beach. The political source added that the drugs-for-guns trade is "heavily financed" by major players and does not only involve fishermen.

"You think any fisherman have the kind of money to trade that kind of a way ... . It is one of the things that I don't even try to delve in. I have stopped even going over there because I don't even want anybody to see me there. It's very bad. It's very, very bad.

"There is a lot of trade of everything - drug, guns and money; millions of dollars. You wouldn't believe the level of involvement," added the politician, who believes Hellshire Beach is the mother of all drugs-for-guns locations across the island.

"This is where everything started ... . It wasn't highlighted, but it has been going on for years."

The politician said that while the illicit trade had burgeoned over the last five to six years, it had been going on for about a decade.

So, how have the masterminds of this criminal enterprise managed to keep the trade out of the public domain?

"Because nobody wants to say anything. People have infor-mation but (they) are not going to talk because they are scared for their life," the political source said.

No end to situation

The politician also intimated that members of the police force might be involved with the illegal trade.

"Some things good fi nyam and nuh good fi talk. Ask anybody and they will tell you that they are not prepared to say a word."

The politician said Portmore residents know that they "better be" quiet because the authorities do not have the "political will" to put an end to the situation.

"I just don't want to get involved. I just leave the thing alone. Whatever mi know already, mi try nuh know nuh more, and mi just leave it," said the politician.

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com