KINGSTON, Jamaica—Five men have been arrested and charged in connection with the seizure of three guns and more than 100 rounds of ammunition in separate police operations conducted between Tuesday, November 11, and December 19.

Two of these arrests were a result of collaboration between the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) and the Jamaica Customs Agency.

Director of FNID, Superintendent of Police Patrae Rowe, stated that his team continues to utilise all available resources to intercept and seize illegal firearms.

“The police continue to intercept illegal weapons at every point of entry and within our communities. Whether through cargo inspections at our ports or intelligence-led operations on our roadways, we will locate these illegal weapons and ammunition. We are committed not only to seizing them, but also to apprehending those responsible for attempting to smuggle firearms into our country. The JCF will continue to utilise every available resource to disrupt the illicit arms supply chain,” Superintendent Rowe said.

Reports are that on Tuesday, November 11, the teams conducted an operation at Port Bustamante in Kingston 13, where a search of a shipment resulted in the seizure of a Smith & Wesson revolver and 50 rounds of ammunition.

This led to the arrest of 60-year-old Roger Shakes, a dual citizen of Bronx, New York and Greendale, Spanish Town, St Catherine, on November 20.

Shakes was charged with two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, as well as dealing in a prohibited weapon, trafficking in a prohibited weapon and stockpiling a prohibited weapon.

Several weeks later, on Tuesday, December 9, the teams once again carried out a search of a shipment at Port Bustamante, where a Luger semi-automatic pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition were seized.

A follow-up operation was conducted on December 19, during which two men were detained. Further investigations led investigators to White Horses, St Thomas, where 59-year-old Courtney Palmer, a dual citizen of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States and St Thomas, Jamaica, was identified as the individual responsible for the shipment.

Palmer was arrested and subsequently charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, trafficking in a prohibited weapon, dealing in a prohibited weapon and unauthorised possession of ammunition.

In a separate intelligence-driven operation on Monday, December 15, FNID personnel intercepted a Toyota Voxy motor vehicle along Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston. The vehicle was searched in the presence of its three occupants, during which a Glock 43 pistol and 75 rounds of ammunition were discovered concealed within a modified dashboard.

The three occupants – 34-year-old Ramon Simpson of Franklyn Town, Kingston 16; 20-year-old Sekayi Grant of Elletson Road, Kingston 16 and 19-year-old Drevaun Hemmings of Cambridge Street, Kingston 16 were jointly charged with two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, trafficking in a prohibited weapon, dealing in a prohibited weapon, stockpiling prohibited weapons and unauthorised possession of ammunition.

Since the start of the year, the police have seized a total of 1,139 firearms, 502 of which were seized by FNID.