This was disclosed on Friday by Professor Anthony Harriott, a senior lecturer in the department of Government at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, while addressing an information session to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at UN House.
Of that figure, only a fraction of that revenue remained in the Caribbean.
Giving an insight into the Jamaican experience, Harriott said most of the successful drug rings had diversified to include extortion which was a trend now developing in Trinidad and Tobago. He cited an example where US$10 million had been confiscated from the home of one of Jamaica's drug dons.
Harriott said drug dons were very quick to establish new power relations within communities in which they operated and with political parties.
He explained, that since these criminal elements had taken over a number of urban communities in Jamaica, politicians needed the votes of those constituents.
"Political parties want access to these communities because they need the votes and the criminal networks are able to say, 'look we can deliver the votes on block ... we can deliver the votes of an entire community. If you wish to have them, then you have to negotiate with us'.
"So that's the new reality the political parties have to deal with. It has implications for them and their reputation, but it is grounded on that reality," he said.
Noting that there was much talk in Jamaica about political parties breaking their ties with criminal groups, Harriott said while he supported this, he did not think it was such a good idea because those communities would become isolated from the mainstream society.
Harriott said to successfully cope with the problems of drug trafficking, then moral education would have to play an integral part.