The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coastguard are investigating reports that six fishermen from St Elizabeth who went missing in January are being held against their will in Colombia.

Reports are that the men - Wayne Dowdie, 40, Desmond Gordon, 39, Kirk Lindo, 37, Colin Lynch, 35, Tommy Gordon, 26, and Honduran Gilbert Mugim, 38 - left the Black River Wharf on Thursday, January 15, for what should have been a two-week fishing expedition. They were travelling on board a 40ft fishing vessel with white and blue hull, named 'Cross Tide', and have not been seen since.

Veda Channer, a cousin of two of the fishermen, however, contacted THE STAR last week, claiming that a coastguard in Miami in the United States informed her that the men were being held in Colombia.

"She told me that the call came in over the radio in Miami that the men were having engine problems. She said that Colombia responded to the call," the relative said.

When THE STAR contacted the JDF headquarters, Major Ricardo Blackwood said "the JDF also received that report (the men being in Colombia)". However, up to last week Thursday the Colombian coastguard had not seen them, nor did they release such a report.

no communication

The soldier said contact was last made with the men on January 16 when their vessel arrived at Pedro Cays. Since then, no communication has been established with them. He said that "In order to bring about closure to this aspect of the issue it would be prudent for the family member who gained that information to come to the coastguard base so we may ascertain the specifics of what he/she was told."

A representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while they, too, have received such information suggesting that the men were maybe in Colombia, the ministry was not yet in a position to make any comments on the situation.

The source, however, said that the reports are being "actively pursued" and information about any further developments would be made available at a later date.