$25M reward fund set up for information on Cherry Tree Lane murders

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced a $25-million fund to reward persons who give credible information that leads to the arrest and charge of the criminals behind Sunday's deadly attack in Cherry Tree Lane, Clarendon.

Holness, who was speaking at a media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, said with the fund, the Government and security forces are creating an avenue for citizens to provide information that will help destroy the remaining 185 gangs in Jamaica.

For information leading to the arrest and charge of any suspect involved in Sunday's massacre of eight people and the injuring of at least ten, $6 million has been allocated. Persons may receive up to $1 million each for the information.

Persons who provide information leading to the arrest and charge of facilitators of the gun attack will share $5 million and may receive up to $1.5 million each.

“We are particularly interested in the facilitators and the organisers. Those who provided the weapons or gave access and ammunition, access to motor vehicles, organised, made the telephone calls, made the connections,” said Holness.

Rewards will also be given from a $4 million pool of funds for intelligence leading to the seizure of firearms that were used in the killings and any information on the network involved in the supplying of the weapons.

Holness said $5 million is earmarked for the supplying of information and intelligence resulting in the securing of evidence against the gangs involved in the attack.

A further $5 million is available for information that leads to the arrest and charge of anyone harbouring criminal gangs and their associates. Persons may receive up to $800,000 each.

The announcement comes even as Crime Stop Jamaica, the cash-for-tips programme run by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, registered a marginal decline in the number of tips in 2023 compared to 2022.

Last year, Crime Stop Jamaica received 1,134 tips, a 1.2 per cent decline compared with 2022, according to the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica, which the Planning Institute of Jamaica prepares.

According to the report, the programme paid out $10.2 million in rewards, $9.1 million of which was for guns.

Tips are to be reported to:

Crime Stop: 311

Police emergency: 119

National Investigation Bureau tip line: 811

MOCA tip line: 888-662-2847

Jamaica Defence Force tip line: 837-8888

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