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Forty held in lotto scam raid in Westmoreland

Published:Friday | June 19, 2015 | 5:00 PMPaul Clarke
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This Toyota Mark X was one of the eight motor vehicles seized by the police in a pre dawn raid targeting lottery scammers in Westmoreland.
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This Toyota Mark X was one of the eight motor vehicles seized by the police in a pre dawn raid targeting lottery scamers in Westmoreland.
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FORTY PERSONS including 15 women were held in a police anti-lottery scam raid in Westmoreland yesterday. The lawmen seized eight motor cars, one motorbike and a substantial amount of cash in the raid, which encompassed several communities.

In arguably the biggest police operation against lottery scammers in Westmoreland, the police confiscated lead sheets, an assortment of smart phones, tablets and $470,000 and CAN$800,000.

"It is most definitely one of the largest seizures in this parish. We will continue to fight this scourge with all the resources at our disposal," said Superintendent Beau Rigabie, the commanding office for the Westmoreland Police Division. "This operation was carried out by police personnel from Area One (Westmoreland, St. James, Hanover and Trelawny), with assistance from the Jamaica Defence Force."

According to Inspector Dahlia Garrick, who heads the Corporate Communication Unit (CCU), the operation started at 5:00 a.m. and involved 100 police personnel.

The communities that were targeted included, Llandilo, Farm, Dexter Street, Coke Street in Savannah la-Mar, Grange Hill and Jane Marks Lane in Georges Plain.

"This operation should put a major dent in the lottery scamming, which has been playing a major role in the mayhem that pervades this parish," said Rigabie.