MONTEGO BAY, St James — A crime syndicate led by a woman is now in the cross hairs of the St James police who on Thursday announced their latest crime reduction offensive named Operation Endgame.

According to the head of the division, Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, they have identified the leader of syndicate plaguing the parish as a woman known by the moniker Toots.

“For this quarter, we will be fully pursuing this female-led robbery syndicate. We’ll be pushing hard against this syndicate to ensure that we bring the robberies right down. We’re going into the Yuletide season and we want persons to be able to shop in peace,” he told journalists at a press conference.

“Our efforts will be relentless in ensuring that this robbery syndicate is fully demolished,” he warned.

The syndicate, he explained, operates across several parishes. However, he said the police have been reeling in the gangsters.

“The work of the members of the division, including those in the zones of special operation, they made a big find in terms of holding on to some of the main players,” Samuels declared

“They have made some major headway, but there are still splinters of the gang around, and with that joint effort across Area One we will see that robbery syndicate being dismantled,” he promised.

Samuels’ claim was corroborated by Deputy Superintendent Michael Moore, the St James crime chief.

“We have arrested more than a dozen perpetrators who we believe form part of this syndicate that is operating in the St James area. Recently, we had five arrested and firearms were seized from them,” Moore said.

“These men mainly targeted our Chinese business community, and I can say with confidence right now the Chinese business community is breathing a sigh of relief, because we have arrested and charged these persons, and they are presently in custody,” he said.

“We have seen where some of these players have moved to neighbouring parishes, and this is, as I said, as a result of the relentless operational and investigative surge that the police in St James division have been doing,” Moore added.

Regarding Operation Endgame, Superintendent Lynroy Edwards, operations officer for St James, said the new anti-crime offensive will run into the new year.

“This operation is to basically end badness and criminality in St James for good,” he told journalists. “We have added more teeth to our activities, more assets, more intense, a combination of old and new strategies combined with our JDF [Jamaica Defence Force] partners and other formations.”

“The gangs, of course, have been feeling our effectiveness, and they are going to feel it even more, mark our word,” he declared.

This latest initiative, the police said, is designed to build on the successes of two previous operations — Storm One and Storm Two — launched last year.

“We won’t allow the wanton killing of the past to return; it’s not coming back. We are experiencing happy communities, persons can go about their business lawfully, students can prepare for school and exams successfully, [people are having] peaceful parties, and people can do their various social activities peacefully and benefit from tourism,” Edwards said.

“It cannot be overstated; persons can come to Jamaica and feel all right and safe. And, of course, a lot of arrivals are expected for this last quarter, so every local… can get a slice of the cake,” he stated.

Edwards urged Jamaicans to work with the police to ensure that people linked to criminal activities are shown that they are not welcome.

“We just want the citizens to continue to cooperate with us, and to use a Jamaican colloquial term, continue to ‘shub dem out’, so we can keep the peace right across the parish,” the senior cop declared.

He also highlighted another area of focus for Operation Endgame.

“We’re including in our activities, assault on praedial larceny — the theft of animals and produce — for food safety and security. We’ve partnered with the Agricultural Protection Branch and we have strategised in a way to ensure that these criminals are targeted as part and parcel of our activities,” he explained.

The new anti-crime operation comes as police statistics show that St James has recorded 43 murders for the period January 1 to September 27, 2025, compared to 102 for the same period last year, a reduction of 57.8 per cent. Shootings have also dropped from 89 to 42 over the same comparative periods, a 52.8 per cent reduction.

Noting the reductions, Samuels said the police remain committed to keeping murders below 100 for this calendar year.

“We have so far ended the third quarter with these reductions, and it is our intent to push as hard as we can to ensure that we continue seeing our reductions and seeing a safe and secure St James division,” he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels addressing a press conference on Thursday in Montego Bay.