Police Nab Cocaine Suspect After Year-Long Manhunt

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — A Manchester farmer who was on the run for over a year after allegedly being caught with $1 million worth of cocaine has finally faced the courts — and walked out on bail.

Forty-eight-year-old George McKenzie was granted bail in the Manchester Parish Court on Wednesday, after turning himself in to police last month.

Reports are that McKenzie had been wanted since June 19, 2024, when he was allegedly intercepted by lawmen in Middle Quarters, St Elizabeth, during a targeted police operation.

Sources say he was driving a Honda motor vehicle when cops made the bust. A secret compartment was found inside the car — and what was inside? Cocaine, said to be valued at a whopping $1 million on the street.

But McKenzie wasn’t sticking around. It’s alleged he fled the scene, sparking a manhunt and placing him on the police’s most wanted list.

After more than a year on the run, McKenzie surrendered to police in July 2025.

His legal team, King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie and Patrice Riley, argued that their client was afraid and that the vehicle wasn’t even his — it had been recently loaned to someone else, they claimed.

The judge granted bail in the sum of $1 million, with strict reporting conditions.

Police investigations continue.