Adrian Frater/News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
Nine persons have been taken into custody by the Hanover police following Sunday's seizure of two firearms and a quantity of local and foreign currencies among other items.
The seizures were made during a crackdown on criminal activities in the Smithfield section of Cascade in the western parish.
“We have plotted our strategies and we are now going after the criminals, especially the gunmen, with a new resolve, because we will definitely not allow any criminal to feel safe in this parish,” said Superintendent Sharon Beeput, the commanding officer for Hanover.
This brings to four, the number of illegal guns seized in the parish in recent weeks.
According to Beeput, Sunday's operation included house searches.
One Glock pistol with a magazine containing four .45 rounds, one Taurus .38 Revolver with six .38 rounds, eight additional .38 rounds, and fifty 9mm cartridges were found, she said.
Beeput said the police also found US$1,700, J$490,000, one ski mask, two cellular phones, one pound of ganja, and one Wells Fargo debit card.
While all nine occupants at the location were taken into custody, Beeput said the primary focus is on three persons.
“We are confident that by tomorrow we should be able to lay charges against three of the persons,” she said Monday.
Amid various policing operations in St James, several gangsters, and lottery scammers have been targeting Hanover as a hideaway.
Because of the parish's proximity to St James, criminals are able to seamlessly operate between the two parishes.
Just over a week ago, two men believed to be significant players in lottery scamming in western Jamaica were arrested and charged with breaches of the Law Reform Fraudulent Transaction Act in Industry Cove, Hanover.
The two men, 26-year-old Kimroy Atkinson, of Samuel Prospect, Trelawny, and 18-year-old student Delano Samuels of Industry Cove, are slated to appear in court Tuesday.
A third man who resides in South Carolina in the United States, was also taken into custody but was released without charge.
He is still being investigated as he is the owner of the property where the other two men were held.
According to reports, the police went to a house in Industry Cove and found paraphernalia associated with lottery scamming.
They also seized seven telephones, which allegedly had the identity data of scores of Americans.
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