Embattled Dancehall artiste Tommy Lee Sparta has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The “Uncle Demon” deejay, whose given name is Leroy Russell, was arrested by members of the organisation’s Specialized Operations Branch following the seizure of a 9mm pistol with an extended magazine containing 18rounds of ammunition.

The weapon was found during an operation on Holborn Road, St Andrew about 6:00 pm on Monday (December 14).

Tommy Lee Sparta remains in police custody and is to appear in court to answer to the charges on January 6, 2021. He is also the subject of other criminal investigations.

Tommy Lee is being represented by Queen’s Counsel Tom Tavares Finson and Donahue Martin.

Earlier this year, the deejay was held for weeks under the state of emergency (SOE) in St James. Upon his release, attorney-at-law Ernest Smith told the media that there was a personal vendetta being directed towards his client by the cops.

Smith said Tommy Lee Sparta had lost over $100 million in revenue over the last four years as a result of “unfair targeting” from the cops whom he accused of locking off events on which he was billed, or pressuring him off shows.

Tommy Lee Sparta, whose real name is Leroy Russell, has had several run-ins with the law over the last six years.

In 2014 he was arrested and charged with lottery scamming-related offences after police raided a house in the Kingston 5 area that was believed to have been occupied by the entertainer.

A laptop reportedly belonging to the deejay was seized after it was said to have been found with personal information of several United States residents.

The artiste was, however, freed four years later.

That same year he was denied entry to Dominica after arriving in that Caribbean island to perform at a major concert.