Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
A QUANTITY of illegal ammunition, with a street value of over $10,000 was seized during a pre-dawn police operation in the hotbed of Arnett Gardens, St. Andrew, yesterday.
Head of the Kingston West Police Division, Deputy Superintendent Delroy Hewitt, said about 50 rounds of 30 calibre ammunition were found in the 'Top Jungle' area of the volatile inner-city community.
"These rounds are very difficult to get. They are shaped and look like the M-16 round, but they don't have the velocity (of the M-16 rounds)," DSP Hewitt said.
A 21-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the find. He has been identified as Kevin Marage, who is believed to be a member of the 'Top Jungle' gang.
ONGOING GANG FEUD
Yesterday's police operation was carried out in a bid to quell an ongoing feud between rival gangs in the community. The series of events forced teachers from the Charlie Smith and Trench Town high schools to abandon classes for several days as a mark of protest against the rising crime in the area, just over a week ago.
The protest followed two incidents in which a 13-year-old Charlie Smith High schoolgirl was shot and injured by gunmen near the intersection of Ninth Street and West Road and the other in which another 13-year-old girl from Trench Town High was raped at gunpoint. Earlier reports indicated that the girl was raped on the school compound but DSP Hewitt said police investigations show otherwise.
He said the student was raped in the 'Zimbabwe' community, which is less than a block away from the school. Reports reaching The Gleaner are that the suspect in the matter has since fled the area.
