Four M16 rifles, one Glock seized in Flanker

Four M16 assault rifles, a Glock 40 pistol, and a quantity of assorted ammunition were seized in Flanker, St James, yesterday.

The weapons were found during a nine-hour joint police-military operation, which targeted the much-feared 'Red Dirt' section of the community, which has been under criminal siege in recent weeks.

"The operation started at approximately 4 a.m. ...Earlier this morning, we seized four M16 rifles and a quantity of ammunition ... and just now, we seized a handgun," said Deputy Superintendent of Police Gary McKenzie, the operation officer for the St James police.

Several young men were rounded up from various lanes and placed in a police van. A police officer told a relative of one of the men, who had asked him why they were being detained, that they would be taken to the Freeport Police Station, where they would be processed to determine if they have any criminal involvement.

"If he is a good boy, you will definitely see him later ... long before dinner time," the policeman said. "However, if he is a bad man, you might not see him again until he gets a court date."

RELUCTANT TO SPEAK

While the residents of Red Dirt were reluctant to speak to the media, residents from other sections of the community, to include sections said to be at odds with Red Dirt, were clearly elated about both the raid and the gun find.

"A whole heap a gun dem have over deh ... dem have some name 'jungle jesus' and some name 'tropical breeze' ... . When dem start buss shot a nuh nothing good," said a resident, who asked not to be identified. "Di police and solder dem nuh fi stop search until dem find all a di gun dem."

Senator Charles Sinclair, the councillor for the Flanker division, said he is glad the weapons have been found.

"I know the law-abiding residents are quite happy because a gun in the wrong hand is a tool of destruction ... so I want to congratulate the security forces ... in finding these guns today, they may have saved many lives," said Sinclair.

Earlier this month, two men were taken into custody in relation to the seizure of a firearm and several rounds of ammunition in Red Dirt, Flanker. The firearm a Taurus 9mm pistol, with a magazine containing twelve 9mm rounds of ammunition, was found in a knapsack one of the men was carrying.