Rifle Found In Rice Bag During St James State Of Emergency

A high-powered rifle and several rounds of ammunition was found in the Flankers, St James on Thursday afternoon.

The seizure comes just moments after Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a state of public emergency for the parish. According to reports, members of the military and police force went into unoccupied building in the area and found the weapon hidden in a rice bag.

While no arrests were made in connection with the find, Inspector Dian Bartley of the Joint Police Military Communications Unit said the early results are very encouraging.

“We went into a number of hotspots and crime ridden areas in Montego Bay from as early as 5:00 am today and are very happy with this seizure,” said Bartley.

According to Bartley, numerous incidents of shootings and murder in the space have been committed with similar high-powered weapons, “we will now rely on the ballistic and forensic technology to determine if this particular rifle was involved in any of the several murders committed over the past 2 weeks,” he added.