Jamaica police lobby for extradition of key lottery-scam players

The Jamaican police are pushing to extradite some of the key players in the deadly lottery scam to face stiffer penalties in other countries.

This move comes as the St James police conceded yesterday that the scam, believed to be responsible for hundreds of murders in recent years, has morphed into more sophisticated forms of criminal activities.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Denver Frater, who heads the St James Police Division, said local law-enforcement officials are already holding discussions with "our external partners" about extraditing persons believed to be involved in the scam, but made it clear no formal proceedings have started.

Frater said the talks are focusing on issues surrounding the fact that some victims of the scam lived abroad.

"Very soon, we will see some people who are heavily involved extradited," Frater told a Gleaner Editors' Forum held at the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay yesterday.

"We are looking, based on the ability of our jurisdiction, to effectively prosecute against the jurisdiction, for example, in the US," he explained.

Frater, however, declined to comment further, citing the delicate stage the talks have reached.

He said the police have made significant progress in curtailing the scam, but cautioned that it has not been dismantled.

Since the start of this year, he said the St James police have seized more than $7 million from persons entering and leaving the parish who are believed to be involved in various scams.

Frater said with the success of the police, achieved largely through the Proceeds of Crime Act, the scammers have turned to more sophisticated activities such as identity theft and the cloning of credit and debit cards locally and overseas.

"They have moved to another level and this has forced us to increase our capacity and capability to deal with it," he said.

In addition, Frater said this has forged closer collaboration between Jamaican and overseas law-enforcement agencies.