Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has called on regional governments to escalate collective diplomatic engagement as part of efforts to stem the flow of illicit arms throughout the region.

His call follows a recent ruling by the United States Supreme Court, dismissing Mexico’s $10 billion USD lawsuit against American gun manufacturers.

Dr. Holness notes that Mexico’s legal challenge, unprecedented in scope, sought to hold these companies accountable for the steady and deliberate flow of deadly weapons across its border.

He states that the court’s ruling, citing federal protections that shield the gun industry from liability, likely closes one avenue that Mexico and other Latin American and Caribbean nations , Jamaica included, sought to influence the United States to do more to stem the flow of illicit arms throughout the region.

The Prime Minister says the outcome is neither surprising, nor is it the end of the road.

According to him, lasting solutions to the problem of illicit arms trafficking will come through collaboration, not litigation.

As such, he says the Supreme Court’s decision does not close the door on progress.

Rather, it reinforces the importance of working within the framework of bilateral relationships, using law enforcement cooperation, policy dialogue and legislative engagement as the pillars of collective security.

The Prime Minister says the seizure of 233 illegal firearms and over 40,000 rounds of ammunition – the single largest weapons find in Jamaica to date – , rightly draws attention to the rampant nature of weapons trafficking in the region.

He states that the vast majority of firearms trafficked into Jamaica – around 85% of weapons seized in 2023 – came via the United States.

Dr. Holness notes that some of these weapons are smuggled directly into Jamaica on boats from third countries such as Haiti and Nicaragua, but the majority are smuggled through legal freight channels directly from ports such as Miami, as with the recent batch of 233 firearms intercepted at a wharf warehouse.

He says either way, tracing on these firearms often reveals that they were originally legal purchases – from gun stores in US states such as Florida, Georgia and Texas – diverted to illegal channels.

Dr. Holness says Jamaica respects the sovereignty of the United States and its constitutional commitments, adding that the issue at hand is not the lawful manufacture or ownership of firearms in the United States but the illegal diversion of those weapons into Jamaica.

The Prime Minister says reducing the flow of illegal firearms is critical to Jamaica’s national security and is also a collective security imperative for the region.

He points out that the same criminal networks in the Caribbean that engage in the trafficking of humans, narcotics and other contraband that more directly impact Americans are responsible for the illicit importation of firearms from the US.

According to Dr. Holness, they represent a common threat to both Caribbean countries and their northern partners.

Therefore, he says it behoves each respective government to do its part to undermine, stifle and dismantle these networks.

Dr. Holness says the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court does not diminish the bond with the U.S.

Instead, he says it sharpens the focus on the concrete steps to be taken together to combat illicit arms trafficking.

Dr. Holness says the Jamaican people can rest assured that this government remains committed to pursuing every available avenue to protect communities.

The government is confident that with its partners in the United States, a regional security environment can be built where the interests of lawful citizens on both sides of the border, prevail over the ambitions of criminals.