'English' back behind bars - Cops capture alleged gangster seize illegal firearm

Answorth 'English' Lawrence, an alleged top-tier member of the Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland-based Dexter Street gang, is back behind bars after he was reportedly held with an illegal firearm during a joint police/military operation last Saturday night in the volatile Russia community.

Interestingly, Lawrence was out on bail for a similar offence at the time he was held. He had

reportedly breached the condition of his bail and was being sought by the police when he was accosted and searched last Saturday night. The weapon, a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, was found on him.

"I do hope that this time around, the court will not again offer him bail," a senior policeman said yesterday.

According to police reports, last Saturday night, a joint police/military team was on patrol in Russia when they stopped at a location where residents had gathered. Lawrence was seen and was held by the police. When he was searched, the loaded weapon was reportedly found on him. He was arrested and charged.

"I wouldn't have the exact date when he was first arrested, but the fact of the matter is that he was charged with a similar offence, including robbery and he was on bail. He was supposed to be reporting at the station and he was not reporting and so the police was in pursuit of him," Senior Superintendent of Police Gary McKenzie said.

The Dexter Street gang, which has been locked in a bloody street feud with the Dalling Street gang, which has claimed several lives, came to national and international attention recently when the gang was implicated in the seizure of a shipment of 19 guns and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition, which were intercepted at the Kingston Container Terminal, in Kingston.