Illegal guns seized by Operation Kingfish detectives in Old Harbour, St Catherine, on Sunday. - Contributed

Spokesman for Operation Kingfish, Detective Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, says an outpost of the elite crime-fighting unit has been set up along the Old Harbour, St Catherine, to Clarendon corridor as a permanent location from which to spearhead the crackdown on the guns-for-drugs trade.

Llewellyn told The Gleaner yesterday that in its latest operations, Kingfish investigators, along with Mobile Reserve personnel, were on duty in Old Harbour, St Catherine, about 7 p.m. Sunday when a Nissan motor car was signalled to stop. After a search, eight illegal guns were found.

Driver in custody

The 43-year-old driver was taken into custody and interrogated.

He told The Gleaner that one of the guns, a rifle, was capable of hitting a target from a distance of about three miles.

"The gun, an M1, if it got in the hands of criminals, would have a really dangerous effect," Llewellyn said. "If the user finds you as his target, this gun can kill from a long distance, so we are very pleased to have it off the streets."

Major player

As for the investigators in Old Harbour, he said their intelligence revealed that the man in custody is a major player in the guns-for-drugs trade. He said no effort would be spared in the fight that has resulted in the seizure of drugs and guns in and around the once busy fishing villages in Clarendon and St Catherine.

The senior policeman said it was easy for persons to use the targeted areas because of the closeness to the coastline. The weapons seized Sunday night are two revolvers, four pistols and two high-powered rifles, along with four magazines and 99 rounds of assorted ammunition.