Jamaicans join war on Yardies

Jamaican detectives are to be attached to Scotland Yard as part of an unprecedented effort to break up the Yardie gangs behind a wave of drug-related violence in London and other British cities.

Specialist drugs officers from the Met will also be sent to the Caribbean to help reduce trafficking operations in Jamaica, which are estimated to account for 15 per cent of the cocaine in Britain.

The move follows a visit to the island by Home Office Minister Robert Ainsworth, who met Jamaican counterparts to plan the strategy.

Britain is to pay for new drugdetection equipment at Kingston airport, which will be able to spot passengers with drug caches inside their stomachs.

The collaboration between the two governments has resulted in Britain abandoning plans to introduce a visa system for Jamaican visitors, according to a report today.

It is understood that Jamaican officers may be asked to help with Operation Trident, the Met's programme for tackling black-on-black gun crime. The island's national security minister, Peter Phillips, said: "We are looking to jointly place officers from the Metropolitan Police and the Jamaica Constabulary Force on an exchange basis so they can tackle a common problem."

UK Customs and Excise estimate that up to one in 10 Jamaicans flying here act as "mules", swallowing condoms filled with drugs.

Operation Trident dealt with 33 shootings in the first two months of this year, including five murders. Almost all the shootings were drugs-related. Jamaican police warned last year that more gangs were setting up in Britain. "They are selling drugs in every city", said one officer.