Minister of National Security Derrick Smith has said the Government would be resolute in its efforts to rid the island of all the players in the illegal drug trade, in order to remove Jamaica from the major list of drug transhipment and producing countries.

Mr. Smith was speaking in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, yesterday where 58 police and customs officers from Jamaica and nine other English speaking countries completed a course in narcotics investigation and a junior command course for several middle managers in the respective forces.

Jamaica was named to a list which included other countries such as India, Afghanistan and Venezuela for what the U.S cites as major drug transit or illicit drug- producing countries.

Full speed ahead

"The fact that there is a change of administration does not mean that there is a change in the fight against the illegal drug trade, as Jamaica must be removed from the list of other countries and we will be going full speed ahead to deal with this problem," he said.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas acknowledged that Jamaica indeed saw an upsurge in the production of ganja, amid a major dent in cocaine transhipments through the island. He said that the force would be seeking to increase its efforts to fight the problem in the upcoming year.