MZ @ 2013 :: A Owa Endz

Deadly Haitians in Hellshire

ZJSnyper said
22:34 02/15 2008

The middle class community of Hellshire in Portmore, St Catherine, has become a haven for Haitian refugees, most of whom are believed to be involved in the dangerous guns-for-drugs trade, THE STAR has learnt.Residents tell THE STAR that quite a large number of Haitians have been 'hiding' in the seaside community. Most of them stay with residents and play active roles in the illegal firearms and narcotics trade. Police confirmation Assistant Commissioner Glen-more Hinds, head of Operation Kingfish, confirmed the Haitians' presence in the community. "We are aware that they are being accommodated in a number of communities which are bordered by the shore." ACP Hinds said. Acting Crime Chief for the St Catherine South, Detective Inspector Carl Malcolm, said the Hellshire Beach and the community had become an "area of concern". Last month, members of Operation Kingfish combed sections of the community for Haitians suspected in smuggling weapons into the island. During that operation, four men, including two Haitians, were arrested. "We are of the view that they were part of the crew of a boat that made it into Jamaica from Haiti with firearms so the operation is ongoing," says Hinds. "They're here, they know the waters pretty well from here to Haiti." Portmore's Mayor, Keith Hinds, who lives in Hellshire, is also aware of the situation. "I think everyone is aware of the activities...We need intervention from the level of the commissioner of police," Mayor Hinds reveals. He believes the illegal activities of the Haitians will negatively impact the lives of residents. "Yes we are aware of the activities and I am pretty certain that it will spill over to the residents at some point in time," Mayor Hinds who refers to himself as a "very concerned citizen". Other residents told The STAR that the situation has them scared. "Di man dem a gwaan like dem waa mash up di place, yu nuh see dat?" said Nicey, a restaurant worker on the Hellshire Beach. "A crazy things a gwaan roun ya still, pure gun play an ting, gun a sell an dem ting deh, man from yard a and di Haitian dem a run di place a way rasta." The STAR did not locate or any Haitians but residents claim they have come across them. They say they can be differentiated by their accent. "Dat a nuh secret, of course dem deh yah, your timing jus wrong...Anytime yu come back an si a crew a man a chat jus cock yu ears and listen fi who and who jus sound different, a di Haitian dem deh," said Kingman, another restaurant worker and well known individual in Hellshire, explained. "Even though we a seh dem only spell trouble fi di area, yu have other people weh a tek dem inna dem place and a mek dem feel welcome." He suggested that the regular sighting of the Haitians is a clear indication they are being housed in the area. "Yu si dem early a morning and yu see dem late a night, it nuh get more obvious than dat," he surmised. The police's efforts to rid the community of the refugees are being commended but many residents feel they might be unable to cope. "Truth be told, the police are trying to help the situation as we have seen where they have made recent arrests, but as soon as they take them away, more and more of them return." one resident stated. Others say while they are not certain of the exact number of illegal Haitians in their community, the number seems to be rising as time goes by. "One time you could safely count the number of them but now it seems to be getting out of hand...At times you might see all four of them walking together.The number of them seems like it increasing as weeks go by," another resident explained. ACP Hinds notes that the police are working to secure the nation's borders. "We do continuous surveillance of fishing villages, and we have had a number of persons arrested and deported. This is part of an ongoing activity as we look to protect out borders," he said. The sightings of the Haitians make residents fear a recurrence of a situation which last year led to the death of at least five persons in the community. Last September fisherman Mackero Manderson, 18, was shot dead. Police found his lifeless and bullet riddled body on the Hellshire beach. A Haitian 50 dollar bill was taken from his trousers pocket when his body was searched. The teenager's death was the third incident in about three weeks, believed to be linked to the drugs for guns trade. Two weeks after, a 22-year-old fisherman was also killed on the beach. That shooting followed a similar incident two days earlier at a popular seafood restaurant on the beach. Then Robert 'Ninety Nine' Levy, 40, was shot dead and a 32-year-old man injured. A few days prior Gary Cooper of March Pen Road, St. Catherine, was fatally shot when he was chased by two men on the beach. All these incidents were theorised by police to be linked to the illicit trade involving Haitians.

Crazypickney said
23:10 02/15 2008

a whey di hell

WeedEmpress said
23:29 02/15 2008

a dat a gwan

nexx said
01:28 02/16 2008

laad gee, ja just a get f**k fom all angle

linko said
10:14 02/16 2008

di amn dem taking ova

DJ Romeo said
12:55 02/16 2008

Haitian invasion of Jamaica dem need to seal the borders like US. Easier said than done but very necessary border control or they going to bring Jamaica down to their level.