Police raided a forested area of Santa Cruz on Sunday and found two illegal guns they believe may be linked to two sets of murders which took place last week and over the weekend. The guns, along with a sizeable haul of marijuana with a street value of almost $3 million, were found by members of the North Eastern Division Task Force (NEDTF) during an anti-crime exercise from 2 pm-10 pm on Sunday. Police said the exercise was in response to a double murder last Thursday, in which Gregory “Jamdown” Charles, 36, and his 37-year-old friend Sherwin “Dan” Cole were killed when two gunmen raided Charles’ Pipiol Street, home.
Police led by Insp Roger Alexander and Sgt Cornelius Samuel went into the Pipiol forest, where they found the items hidden in a dense undergrowth within walking distance from where the two men were killed. The illegal items included a .38 revolver and a high-powered MP 40 submachine gun. The guns were taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James, where ballistic testing is expected to be done to determine if they were used in the murders. Police also found 178 kilos of compressed marijuana hidden nearby. They said the marijuana was of high quality and potency and was most likely smuggled into Trinidad from Jamaica or St Vincent. Similar exercises are scheduled for the next couple of weeks.
Homicide detectives are working on the theory that Thursday’s double murder was linked to the triple murder at Desperlie Crescent, Laventille, on Saturday morning. Around 4 am on Saturday, police responded to reports of a shooting and discovered the bodies of three men in a house. The victims were later identified as Michael Fox, 24, his 21-year-old cousin Jamal Fox and their friend Shaquille Bishop, 21. Police sources said two of the men were originally from Santa Cruz and had recently moved to Laventille. Investigators believe the triple murder may have been a reprisal for last week’s double killing. They had not made any arrests in relation to either set of murders up to late yesterday.