Kirk Benjamin, comissioner of customs at the Jamaica Customs Agency, speaks with The Gleaner during an interview at his Kingston office recently.

Cards of crime - Customs cracks down on new strategy used by scammers, others to smuggle proceeds of illicit activities into island

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) Kirk Benjamin has revealed that the state body has seized 195 international credit and debit cards sent to Jamaica from overseas between January and August this year. The Customs boss contended that many persons allegedly involved in illegal activities sent back the proceeds of crime loaded on international credit and debit cards. He told The Gleaner the cards that have been confiscated by Customs seldom have owners, as no one turns up to collect them.

13 Oct, 2026 Edmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter 0

World News

VIEW ALL
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham

PM say it is ‘clear’ Russia interfered in 2016 Brexit referendum

LONDON (AP): United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham says it is clear that Russia interfered with Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, adding that it was important to put Moscow’s tampering on the record because countries across Europe are facing the same threat. In excerpts from the ‘The Rest is Politics’ podcast released Sunday, Burnham said that when he became prime minister in July, he asked his advisers whether Russia had interfered with the 2016 referendum.

13 Oct, 2026 0

Sports

VIEW ALL
Reggae Girlz coach Hubert Busby Jr (arm raised) rallies his troops during a training session at the National Stadium on April 17.

DRUM AND BASS

Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby says Jamaica must continue to refine its playing identity and address areas for improvement when it faces Mexico in its second international friendly today. The Reggae Girlz face Mexico in the second match of the two-game series at Estadio La Corregidora in Querétaro, with kick-off set for 8 p.m. Jamaica time. The Jamaicans head into the encounter in high spirits after securing an impressive victory over the Mexicans in their first meeting.

13 Oct, 2026 Gregory Bryce/Staff Reporter 0

Entertainment

VIEW ALL
Godfrey Anderson and his father, Bob Andy.

Lyrical genius of Bob Andy to be celebrated; new book coming

Preparations were in high gear last year for the October 28 birthday tribute to the legendary singer and prolific songwriter Keith ‘Bob Andy’ Anderson. But a Category 5 hurricane had other plans and made landfall in Jamaica that same day, and the recovery effort became the talking point for the rest of the year. Still buoyed with hope and determined to keep his father’s legacy alive, Bob Andy’s son, Godfrey ‘Bobby’ Anderson, has marked a date in his calendar to honour his father this year.

13 Oct, 2026 Yasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer 0

Business

VIEW ALL
Pages from the Anthropic website and the company’s logo are displayed on a computer screen in New York, February 26, 2026.

Anthropic’s Claude AI submits a false tip on a Philadelphia unsolved homicide case

An Anthropic artificial intelligence (AI) model submitted a false tip to a Philadelphia police website about an unsolved homicide case, authorities and Anthropic said. It is the latest example of AI models acting in unintended ways and manipulating government and other websites during tests. In a report Friday, Anthropic also disclosed a separate incident when its AI model submitted forms to an undisclosed government website instead of stopping before submission.

13 Oct, 2026 0

Videos

Lifestyle

VIEW ALL
‘Bombshell Weekend’ creator and executive producer Petegay Gentles (left) celebrates the series’ partnership with official beverage partner Red Stripe Flavours alongside Junior Brand Manager Laurice Griffiths.

Something Extra | Tuesday

‘Bombshell Weekend’, an eight-episode digital reality series featuring 20 Jamaican content creators, premiered at Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records in Marketplace, St Andrew, last Thursday. Created and executive produced by Petegay Gentles, the series follows contestants through challenges, secret missions and unscripted encounters.

13 Oct, 2026 0

Commentary

VIEW ALL

Editorial | Ideas for NIS campaign

The planned study by the island’s pension industry on how prepared Jamaicans are to face retirement will probably produce plenty of data of value to policymakers, even if most people feel they know, by gut instinct, what it will conclude: that most Jamaicans will not have the resources to face old age.

13 Oct, 2026 0