Two held as police probe guns find in MoBay
MONTEGO BAY, St James — The police have launched a top-level probe into the seizure of 20 firearms and 40 magazines at the cargo section of Sangster International Airport on Friday.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Stephanie Lindsay, head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Corporate Communicatons Unit (CCU) revealed that two individuals are being questioned in connection with the seizure.
“Investigators are currently [Friday afternoon] at the cargo section of the Sangster International Airport where a shipment was detected with illegal firearms. So far they have seized 20 9mm pistols and some 40 magazines. They are still conducting searches,” SSP Lindsay said.
“We understand that the items came in and during checks it was discovered that the containers had the illegal guns. We know that two persons are being questioned by detectives from the St James Division.
But commander of the St James police division Senior Superintendent Vernon Ellis argued that the investigation is under way and not much can be disclosed at the moment.
“So far, we have found 20 guns coming into Jamaica. We are doing our investigations at this time and we don’t want to say much,” SSP Ellis told the Jamaica Observer. “Investigations and other actions are being taken in relation to this find.”
SSP Ellis, however, disclosed that the airport gun find came on the heels of the seizure of an illegal firearm and ammunition in the Retirement area of the parish on Friday morning, where a police operation led to the recovery of a 9mm pistol with 13 9mm rounds inside a shoe box under a bed.
One man has been taken into custody in connection with that find.
Last year the St James police recovered 126 illegal guns which were 10 more than the 116 recovered the previous year. The St James police also recovered 96 illegal guns in 2019.
“The guns are the weapons of choice in murders across the country, so we must continue to rid the streets of them,” SSP Ellis said.