WESTERN BUREAU – Narcotics Police from Kingston, backed by local Area One cops, yesterday apprehended two more Montego Bay men wanted for drugs in the United States, and whisked them off to Kingston by helicopter soon after removing them from their upscale homes.

The police also seized several vehicles, including a luxury car, as part of the operation which up to last night was still underway.

The latest to be caught in the dragnet are Montego Bay businessman and band operator Hartford Anthony Montaque, 40, otherwise called ‘Bruckie’ and ‘Iwad’ of Torado Heights, and ex-immigrations officer Dennis ‘Den Den’ Gayle, who is about 39 years old.

The police say both were held on drug extradition warrants.

The narcotics police are working from a list of 82 persons suspected to have ties to the illegal drug trade, the majority of whom they say are from the Montego Bay area. So far they have picked up 10 men.

Up to late evening, a large contingent of narcotics police were still combing the Montego Freeport area in search of another alleged high profile drug dealer.

Montaque and Gayle were nabbed at their respective homes located in two of the city’s most upscale communities. Montaque was held at his Torado Heights residence in Coral Gardens, while Gayle was apprehended at his Phoenix Rise home in Westgate Hills.

The operations began from as early as 6:00 am yesterday when the narcotics agents swooped down on Montaque’s home and searched his premises. Three cars – a BMW, a white Toyota Corolla and silver Toyota Caldina – were seized, as well as documents and a laptop computer.

Montaque was whisked off in a cream Toyota Corolla motorcar to a waiting JDF chopper.

At about 7:30 am the police made their second stop at Westgate Hills where they searched a house occupied by Gayle before seizing a burgundy Toyota Lexus, a computer and several documents.

Gayle who was at the house at the time of the operation, was ushered into a white Toyota Corolla motorcar and taken to the waiting JDF helicopter. According to a police source, both were flown to narcotics headquarters in Kingston.

The apprehension of Montaque and Gayle follows Saturday’s arrest of Adrian ‘Ruddy’ Armstrong, operator of the Grand Central Cambio.

Lawyers for Armstrong yesterday filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Half Way Tree Court in Kingston. Attorneys Tom Tavares-Finson and Peter Champagnie want the head of narcotics to explain why their client, who has been detained since Saturday, has not been taken to court.

The lawyers are also contending that no identification parade was held for their client. As a result of the application filed by the lawyers, Armstrong is scheduled to appear in the Half Way Tree Resident Magistrate’s Court today.

In addition to Armstrong and the two men held yesterday, others also snared in the dragnet to date include Leebert Ramcharan, Donovan Williams, Norris Nembhard, Robroy Williams, Vivian Dally, Ruddy Armstrong, Norris Gayle, Dennis Gayle, Hartford Montaque, Herbert Henry, and Paul Cargill.