AndemJOEL ANDEM, the reputed gang leader who only recently had been des-cribed as Jamaica's most wanted man, was yesterday slapped with 27 charges, including murder and kidnapping.
He has been charged with two counts of murder, 10 counts of shooting with intent, 12 counts of the illegal possession of a firearm, one count each of robbery with aggravation, kidnapping and conspiracy to murder.
No date has been set for his appearance in court.
TWO OTHERS CHARGED
Meanwhile, Kenneth Watson, 72 years old, and Denisha Griffiths, 22, both of Clarksonville, St. Ann, who were apprehended along with Andem, have been charged with the offence of harbouring a fugitive.
All three were formally charged at 11:00 a.m., yesterday.
Joel Andem has been in police custody since the 26th of May when he was captured during a joint police/military operation in the Clarksonville district in St. Ann. He has engaged the police in a 'cat and mouse' game over the past four years, eluding capture, including several near misses.
On Thursday, June 3, Andem's lawyers Hugh Thompson and Ravil Golding filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court seeking an order for his immediate release from custody, contending that he was illegally detained.
At the time of his arrest, Andem had been wanted for murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping, including the high-profile kidnapping and murder case involving businesswoman Sylvia Edwards. However, speculation had begun to mount over the last few days on whether the State indeed had a case, especially since the police had not yet filed one single charge against a man considered to be the most dangerous criminal in the country the designated public enemy number one.
Andem is reportedly the leader of the notorious 'Gideon Warriors' gang which operates in the Gordon Town area of East Rural St. Andrew, which formed the hub of the gang's wide-ranging criminal activities, which include racketeering, extortion, murder and kidnapping. The gang has been linked to at least 20 murders over the past four years.
Charges filed
against Joel Andem
Two counts of murder.
1O counts of shooting
with intent.
12 counts of the illegal
possession of a firearm.
One count each of robbery
with aggravation, kidnapping
and conspiracy to murder.
