ANDRE ‘Blackman’ Bryan, reputed leader of one faction of the split Klansman Gang in Spanish Town, St Catherine, and three members of his family, including his mother, were remanded when they appeared in the Gun Court section of the Supreme Court on Friday.

Bryan — 33, his 53-year old mother Millicent Brown — his brother, 25-year-old Kevon Green; and his 27-year-old girlfriend Alicia Brown are scheduled to return to court on April 6.

The reputed gang leader is charged with attempting to recruit an adult to a criminal organisation and leading a criminal organisation, while his mother has been charged with being a part of a criminal organisation by facilitating the commission of serious offence and obtaining a benefit from the criminal organisation.

Green is charged with being a part of a criminal organisation by facilitating the commission of a serious crime while his girlfriend is charged with providing a benefit to a criminal organisation.

Bryan and his three relatives, all from Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, St Catherine, were arrested on March 4 at premises in upper St Andrew during a police operation.

Two alleged Klansman gang members who are said to be supporters of Bryan were also remanded Friday in the Gun Court and will return on April 6.

The two — Boswell Rhoden, 38, and Davian Edwards — are both charged with being a part of a criminal organisation.

Additionally, six other alleged gang members who are also said to be supporters of Bryan were also remanded when they appeared in the St Catherine Circuit Court on Friday.

Five of them were denied bail while the other one’s bail was revoked.

Omar Petri, otherwise called “Freezer”, Tashoma Heslop; brothers Danovan and Jermaine Richards, and Kenroy Scarlett all are charged with being a part of a criminal organization.

Heslop, Petri, and Scarlett are also charged with extortion, while the brothers are charged with professing to be members of a criminal organisation.

The sixth accused, Delroy Kelly, who was previously offered bail on a charge of being a part of criminal organisation had his bail revoked.

They are all to return to court on April 16.

Black, who was a ‘lieutenant’ in the gang, reportedly took over the leadership from reputed gang leader Tesha Miller when he was incarcerated in the United States in 2015. According to the police, since Miller’s return in April 2016 there has been a conflict between him and Blackman, which has resulted in a split in the gang and a deadly power struggle.

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, who heads the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC), the factions of the gang have been warring for control of space, guns, extortion, as well as contract killings in the former Jamaican capital.

He also stated that the ultimate goal of the rivals is to control the space in St Catherine, especially sections where the extortion racket is “lucrative”.

The internal feuding in the gang, according to the police, is responsible for 78 of the 134 murders committed in 2017 and 25 of the 49 committed so far in 2018 in the St Catherine North Police Division.

— Tanesha Mundle