FIFTY-FOUR guns and 101 rounds of ammunition were seized by law enforcement agencies at Freeport in Montego Bay on Friday, bringing to 74 the number of illegal firearms captured at that wharf in a week.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey said that Friday's seizure, comprising five rifles and 54 handguns, was made during a joint operation by the police, Jamaica Customs Agency, the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch, the Scenes of Crime police unit, other local law enforcement entities, and Jamaica's international partners.
Bailey said the "intelligence-led" operation was a result of the strengthened partnership between the Jamaica Constabulary Force and other entities within Jamaica, which has been yielding "significant" results.
Among those results, he said, were two cocaine seizures of significant volume in recent times as well as the seizure of 20 firearms at Freeport on January 27.
"The investigation in relation to both finds continues, and we believe that at the end of the day we will successfully prosecute those who are behind sending these illegal weapons," Bailey said in a video release.
"These weapons are weapons of destruction; they are not sent to shoot birds, they are sent to shoot human beings. In the past two or three weeks we have seized in excess of 85 firearms [yet] we do not manufacture firearms in Jamaica. When we consider the destruction that these firearms can cause we are really appealing to the public that when you get information regarding firearms, tell us. We will do the necessary [work] in identifying and locating those who are responsible," he said.
"We continue to pursue those who are involved in organised crime, those who are involved in a system of destruction, because people who send firearms to Jamaica are people who have evil intent to destroy and to create mayhem in our society," Bailey stated.
He also commended the members of the law enforcement agencies, hailing them as "the men and women on the front line who continue to work very hard to make Jamaica safe".
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