CLARENDON, Jamaica – Five illegal firearms and an assortment of ammunition have been seized so far during an ongoing raid in the Oliver Garden community in Farm, Clarendon. Two suspects have also been taken into custody for questioning.

According to Superintendent Carlos Russell, who heads the Clarendon Division, Wednesday morning’s find resulted from a joint police-military operation.

“As part of our continued operation to rid the space of gangs and guns, in recent times we have been having incidents that have been spreading to other parishes in Area 3. We are also aware of some threats that have gone out against police officers and other civilians and so we have targeted those criminals that we believe are involved and those operations led us here,” Russell told Observer Online.

Russell explained that the Farm community used to experience a constant upsurge in crime and murders, but none were reported in 2023.

“Farm has a history of violence, but for 2023, the work that we would have put in targeting the gangsters has paid off and so we did not have any murders in the community last year. But we know that the guns are still here and we want to find the guns and we will continue the targeted operations to get the guns that are here.”

Russell stated that the operation would continue throughout the day “to find more gangsters and guns that we believe are still in the space.”