By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter 
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE ST. James police have described yesterday's early morning find of two illegal weapons and the arrest of five persons including one man wanted in connection with several murders in the parish as a major breakthrough.
A man who the police say is from the Flankers area and who they suspect to be involved in a number of shootings in the Flankers and Rose Heights areas was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a Taurus .38 five-shooter revolver with serial number NG43059 along with two live 9mm rounds and one spent shell in the Cornwall Courts area.
The man is also to be charged with unlawful possession of a gold chain and pendant and bracelet that he was found with. His name is being withheld as he is to face further identification parades.
The other four, including two brothers were arrested in a separate operation that was carried out in the Seaview Heights area of Flankers, They were charged with possession of a Taurus 9mm pistol and four live rounds. The serial number for the 9mm is TRF 2346 with the last digit erased.
Those named in the second operation are Damion 'Mr. Bean' Roberts, 22-year-old unemployed; Kadian Hylton otherwise called Carlos, 24, steel worker; his brother Sheldon 'Shaddy' Hylton, 20, carpenter and Mario Henry, 23, sales representative. All four are of a Rose Height address.
Yesterday's find brings to three the total number of illegal guns recovered in St. James since the start of the year after a record haul of 74 illegal weapons and nearly 2,000 rounds of ammunition were seized by the police last year. In comparison, Superintendent New-ton Amos, who addressed a press conference held at the Freeport station yesterday, said that 41 illegal guns and just over 100 rounds of ammunition were seized in 2002.
'A BIG FISH'
Superintendent Amos who is wrapping up his year-long tour of duty as commanding officer for the parish, after being reposted to the St. Andrew South Division, described the arrest of the unnamed gunman as 'major', calling him 'a big fish' and saying he "is a major player in the crimes that are being committed in the area including the (recent) shooting in Norwood where some five persons were injured and one killed."
Mr. Amos said "We will not leave any stones unturned to deal with the unidentified man as, coming out of the Canterbury issue, this is one of the players that helped to create the problem that emerged later in Flanker, that caused us to go in. He was one of the major persons who we went into Flanker for, on warrant that morning."
Two elderly men were shot and killed allegedly by a police party led by former crime chief Deputy Superintendent Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight, that had gone to Flankers in the early morning of October 25 last year. The shooting sparked several days of riot and demonstrations by residents of Flankers.
There were no incidents in either operations led by Assistant Superintendent Dave Hyman, Mr. Amos told reporters, and hailed the success saying it was conducted under the new Reform and Modernisation Programme.
He attributed success to the divisional intelligence unit that has been in operation for the past couple, of months. "We had information and have analysed it and looked at it carefully had the place properly checked. Our mocks were put in place and have the whole process checked and crossed-checked."
