Leader of the sovereign state of Accompong, Colonel Richard Currie is today (August 11) blasting purported rogue members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) for trespassing on Maroon territory. 

According to Colonel Currie, the incident, one of several repeated confrontations with armed extortionists, allegedly took place near the community of Bethsalem in St Elizabeth.

In a video shared on Instagram on Tuesday night, Currie added that while Maroon farmers were successful in turning back the advances of the alleged plain-clothes officers, the issue reeks of a ‘covert operation’.

“Today I was alerted by the #Maroons of Bethsalem, that rogue members of the JCF have returned to the area to extort money in return for not cutting their crops. Note this is not the first, second or third time the Maroons have witnessed this violation. We would like to know if this is an official operation approved by the @jamaicaconstabularyforce to cut down crops in Maroon territory?” he asked.

Currie, continuing, said just a few weeks ago, residents in the area informed him that the same JCF members were in the district “to perform their nefarious acts upon the hard-working Maroon farmers in the territory”. 

“Upon investigation, we realised these were not honourable members of the JCF, these were men, six in total, posing in causal clothes bearing high powered rifles that pointed at the Maroon people on our land! They came and left in a big police truck and we have the license plate for further investigations,” he added.

The Accompong chief indicated further that he planned to speak with top-brass within the JCF to demand answers. In a subsequent tweet on Wednesday morning, Currie said he was informed by multiple divisions that the operation was done without prior knowledge of or green-lit by JCF superiors.

“The Sovereign State of Cockpit Country has verified with numerous divisions of the @JamaicaConstab that this operation was conducted outside of any superiors’ direct knowledge. Police officers are extorting Maroon farmers for money or taking their crops,” he tweeted.

There were tense moments as Currie sought to calm his fellow Maroons. The Accompong leader can be heard repeatedly declaring that his men were not a threat, the situation was “under control”, and that the armed men could lower their weapons before urging them to leave the territory.

Watch more below:

Still, Currie disclosed, “the record should also reflect that my administration has made multiple attempts to reach out to various departments of the GOJ (Government of Jamaica) since taking office regarding diplomacy and we still have not received a meaningful response to date”.

According to local outlet Accompong News, the men came in a truck, bearing high-powered rifles, firearms and other weapons. 

At least one of the invading marauders was dressed in what appears to be the navy-blue JCF uniform, after the group, on instruction by Currie, accepted they were outnumbered and proceeded to leave.

See video below:

“Several recordings were made of them being confronted by Maroons who are fed up with the men entering their lands and destroying their crops of marijuana and ground provisions,” Accompong News tweeted on Wednesday.

Clips of the encounter, obtained by Our Today, show that at no point were the incensed Maroons armed as they confronted the trespassers and questioned their intentions. 

The Maroons, marching with drums and throwing rum, demanded the armed men leave their lands.

“Soldier bwoy dem inna wi land a cut dung wi weed! Wi a find dem right now inna di bush! We deevn have a machete! We come wid drum and unno come wid gun!” one man exclaimed in the video shared by Currie.