Building a Better Jamaica

Samuda vows to expose sand thieves
Patrick Foster Jamaica Observer
Friday, July 18, 2008

INDUSTRY Minister Karl Samuda yesterday vowed that his administration would expose the culprits responsible for the theft of an estimated 500 truckloads of white sand from a 64-acre property near Duncans, Trewlany.

An incensed Samuda urged the perpetrators to come clean now, as they would eventually be caught and punished.

"Come clean and bear the consequence of your action," said Samuda. "We are going to find out who bought it and who stole it," he declared at a press conference held at his ministry.

Samuda said that the volume of sand moved could not have been done without someone seeing, and appealed to Jamaicans to come forward and reveal who had been delivering large quantities of sand anywhere.

Suggesting that someone with the wherewithal in the tourism sector carried out the theft, he charged that the same treatment given to the "small man" who steals should be given to the "big man" as well.

"If you are a little man and you are a thief, or a multi-millionaire you are a thief. A thief is a thief is a thief," remarked Samuda.

Overseas investors were also not spared Samuda's wrath at the press conference.

"I will expose the biggest investor who comes here and violates our laws. I am unapologetic as far as that is concerned," he said.

The industry minister contended that such actions were highly detrimental to investment in the island and could halt development of the property where the sand was stolen, as well as future investments.

"This happened while I was in Spain encouraging people to invest in tourism here," said Samuda.

"How can we expect investment against this background?" he questioned.

A consortium of local and overseas investors - including William Mahfood, Andrew Cocking, Andrew Issa, Adam Stewart, Jaime Stewart-McConnell, Donovan Perkins, Andrew Desnoes, Mark McConnell, Mark Mahfood, Tim Latimer and Lloyd Carney - had planned to construct 36 six-star villas at the property located at Coral Springs, just outside of Duncans, before the sand thieves struck.