Five charged as police intensify crackdown on illegal firearms
Published:Saturday | December 20, 2025 | 3:22 PM
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) says it has intensified its crackdown on the illicit firearms trade, seizing three guns and more than 100 rounds of ammunition in separate operations and charging five men.
Two of the seizures resulted from joint operations between the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID) and the Jamaica Customs Agency at Port Bustamante in Kingston, the force said in a statement on Saturday.
In the first incident, on November 11, a search of a shipment led to the seizure of a Smith & Wesson revolver and 50 rounds of ammunition.
Sixty-year-old Roger Shakes, a dual citizen, from Bronx in the United States and Greendale, Spanish Town, St Catherine, was arrested on November 20 and charged with possession, dealing, trafficking and stockpiling of a prohibited weapon.
Several weeks later, on December 9, another shipment search at Port Bustamante resulted in the seizure of a Luger semi-automatic pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition.
The police say a follow-up operation on December 19 led to the detention of two men.
Further investigations identified 59-year-old Courtney Palmer, a dual citizen, from Chicago in the US and St Thomas, as the individual responsible for the shipment, the police allege.
Palmer was charged with possession, trafficking and dealing in a prohibited weapon, as well as unauthorised possession of ammunition.
In a separate operation on Monday, FNID personnel intercepted a Toyota Voxy along Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston.
The police say a search of the vehicle uncovered a Glock 43 pistol and 75 rounds of ammunition concealed in a modified dashboard. The three occupants – 34-year-old Ramon Simpson, 20-year-old Sekayi Grant and 19-year-old Drevaun Hemmings, all of Kingston 16 – were jointly charged with multiple firearm and ammunition offences.
The JCF said that since the start of the year, police have seized 1,139 firearms, including 502 by FNID.
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.