Two alleged lottery scammers charged, five others being questioned
Published:Friday | February 11, 2022 | 9:48 AM
Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer
Two men from St Ann have been charged after being found in possession of lottery scamming paraphernalia during a police-military operation at Hartland Estate in Priory in the parish on Thursday.
Deputy Superintendent Kevin Francis, who led the joint operation, said five other men who were also picked up by the police remain in custody and are expected to be charged.
“We're interrogating the devices, the cell phones and tablets that were recovered with a view to have hard evidence before we are able to lay charges against the others,” Francis told The Gleaner.
“We found explicit evidence of lottery scamming where two are concerned while the others we want to be sure. We're not saying we don't have evidence but we want to ensure that due process is followed,” he added.
The operation, which took place between 5:45 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, saw members of the security forces track the alleged criminals into the gated community, one of several such that have been built in recent years in the Priory to Richmond area of St Ann.
Head of the St Ann police Senior Superintendent Dwight Powell told reporters Thursday afternoon that the police are bent on ensuring that the parish remains one of the safest in Jamaica.
“There is absolutely no place in this parish for criminals and their behaviour,” Powell asserted.
Powell said the police have been doing a number of operations across the parish and based on information received, the team went to Hartland Estate to search for the suspects.
He added that the police have sufficient evidence to suggest the suspects may have implicated themselves.
The arrest in the gated community comes just over a week after Police Commission Major General Antony Anderson indicated that criminals were now moving into gated communities in an effort to avoid the police.
He said that is why it is important for persons to provide information to the police.
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