Adams
Garwin Davis and Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporters
THE POLICE have picked up a Customs officer and are now looking for another in connection with the record-breaking ammunition find in St. Andrew last week.
Assistant Commissioner in charge of Crime, Osbourne Dyer, said the Customs officer along with the District Constable, Desmond Gayle, and school teacher, Oliver Irons, were being interrogated up to press time last night. Mr. Gayle and his wife, Rosemarie, as well as Mr. Irons and his wife, Jacqueline, a former financial controller employed to Government, and Leighton Pryce were arrested last week when the police seized more than 41,000 assorted rounds of ammunition, 14 guns and a quantity of ganja. Five of the guns were legal.
The Customs officer was questioned as police look to the wharves for answers. Head of the Crime Management Unit (CMU), Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams is blaming the widespread importation of illegal weapons, on "big time corruption" at the facilities.
In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner on Friday, Mr. Adams said that the situation at the wharves, where many workers had become susceptible to bribes, had got so bad that illegal weapons and other forms of contraband had been allowed to come through with reckless abandon.
"There is plenty of corruption going on at the wharves," Mr. Adams said. "I am not saying that everyone is involved but it has now become a way of life for a number of people. We find there are persons working in collusion with security personnel. Contrabands are brought in with other shipment and are stolen off the wharves at night. These people are knowingly accepting money to allow illegal weapons and ammo to flood our streets."
The controversial head of the CMU also noted that there is a lucrative gun and ammo underground business going on locally which he said the security forces were hard-pressed to contain.
"The other day I testified that about 25,000 round of ammo were fired at the police by criminals during the West Kingston flare-up and there were those who thought I was lying," Mr. Adams added. "I have been a policeman for over 34 years, I know what I am talking about. The ammunition we found was from only one man and he had 41,000 rounds -- that should give you an idea about what we are talking about when we say the streets are flooded with illegal weapons. We have to cut off the source and do something about the corruption at the wharves."
Mr. Adams would not say if the investigation into last week's ammo find had spread to overseas where, sources say, with assistance from the United States, a trace has begun to find out the point of origin of the ammo find. One key source close to the investigation notes that more arrests could be forthcoming as authorities are bent on determining if there is a gun and ammo smuggling link between Jamaica and the United States.
"It would be a major breakthrough if a trace can be made back to the point of purchase," the source said. "While it is not illegal to purchase ammo and guns in the U.S., if they are used for bootlegging purposes or to commit crimes then of course the ball game changes. The United States has the technology and stands ready to assist us in this regard so it is to our advantage to try and capitalise. If we are successful, it could greatly curtail the widespread importation of illegal weapons coming into the country."
A source in the Jamaica Customs department told The Sunday Gleaner that he agreed with everything that Mr. Adams had to say about corruption at the wharves.
"Our ports of entry are not safe," he said. "All kinds of contraband, including guns and ammunition are being brought in and you would be surprised to know some of who are involved. Big money has been passing hands and as long as this is the case, the authorities will be hard-pressed to deal with this problem. Sometimes I wonder if the will is there though."
Former New York City police commissioner William Bratton, while on a visit here recently, said the United States has a very sophisticated way of tracing guns and their point of origin. He noted that the technology was critical in his city's success in drastically lowering its crime rate.
