Police searching for persons behind major guns and ammo find at wharf

Police investigators are continuing to dig through clues as they search for individuals locally and overseas who are involved in Wednesday's seizure of several guns and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition at Kingston Wharf in barrels shipped from the United States.

According to official reports, three fully assembled firearms, a cache of gun parts, including "pistol slides, rifle barrels, and magazines" and 2,819 rounds of assorted ammunition were stashed in five barrels labelled as containing groceries and clothing. 

Processing throughout Wednesday night revealed that the gun parts can assemble an additional 39 weapons, sleuths said, noting that the seizure followed intelligence and partnerships among the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID), and the Jamaica Customs Agency's Contraband Enforcement Team.  

According to the Head of the FNID, Senior Superintendent of Police Samuel Blake, the seizure is a significant blow to the organised criminal underworld. 

"This find is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration between local law enforcement agencies in disrupting the flow of illegal firearms and ammunition into our country.

"It comes at a critical time, just before the Christmas season, and we are committed to keeping our communities safe. This seizure is a significant step in that direction," he said, noting that FNID continues to work with local and international law enforcement agencies to determine the players behind the shipment.

For its part, the Jamaica Customs Agency said the contrabands were detected during routine operations, aimed at identifying anomalies within shipments to the island - a task particularly challenging during the high-traffic Christmas season. 

"The seizure is significant as it speaks to our continued thrust to place a huge dent in organised crime and ultimately to prevent it," the agency said. 

- Corey Robinson

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