IN one year of intense activity, Operation Kingfish has wiped out one of 12 major criminal gangs, severely disrupted or impacted seven others, arrested 235 persons – some for alleged murder – and seized a significant number of go-fast boats, firearms, cocaine and ganja

“We are confident that we have dismantled the Giddeon Warriors Gang, led by Joel Andem at some stage,” Glenmore Hinds, the Assistant Commissioner of Police who heads the Operation Kingfish Task Force told the Sunday Observer.

“We have been able to confiscate 50-odd boats, 1,240 plus firearms, a third of which are rifles, more than 2,500 cartridges, 12 tonnes of cocaine, 4,300 pounds of compressed ganja and have arrested 235 persons for a range of offences, including murder, ammunition, firearms and drug possession,” Hinds reported.

The seven gangs he named as severely disrupted or impacted are:

. the People’s National Party-linked Klansman gang based in Spanish Town;

. the Jamaica Labour Party-linked One Order gang, also based in Spanish Town;

. the Matthews Lane, Kingston gang led by Donald ‘Zeeks’ Phipps, who is on trial for murder;

. the One Ten gang in Dunkirk, east Kingston;

. the Top Road gang, also in Dunkirk ;

. the Ryan Richards gang in Jack Hills, St Andrew; and

. the Steve ‘Mop Head’ Halliman Gang, also in Jacks Hill

Hinds did not mention the other four gangs which make up crime’s dirty dozen, but said: “Whilst we have not satisfied our mandate yet, we believe we are on the right track. The results since we started have been tremendous.”

Operation Kingfish was launched on October 19, 2004 by Dr Peter Phillips, the national security minister, to bring down drug ‘dons’ and major criminal gang leaders.

Also in this issue see the full Kingfish anniversary interview with ACP Hinds.