SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland – Up to late yesterday afternoon senior detectives were questioning a couple arrested and charged with illegal possession of ammunition during Monday’s massive joint police/military operation in “Russia” – a hotbed for crime in the parish.

Orane Roddock, a 36-year-old labourer of Russia, Savanna-la-Mar, and Colleen Myrie, a 25-year-old businesswoman of Strath Bogie, also in the parish, were whisked off to Kingston yesterday after they were reportedly held with six rounds of ammunition at a premises in Russia.

During the massive operation which began early Monday morning and lasted well into the night, police and military personnel – some on land and some on sea – cordoned off all exits and entrances to the tough community that has featured heavily in the 56 murders committed in the parish last year.

Of the six murders recorded in the parish since the start of the year, for example, three were committed in Russia, which consists mainly of informal settlements and swamps.

Last week the police reported the murders of an elderly man and a 39-year-old woman who were shot Tuesday night in separate incidents – 20 minutes apart – in a section of Russia.