Philipsburg:--- Police arrested a number of persons early Wednesday morning during an early morning raid at several homes on the island as they continue investigating several murders that were committed this year. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed that several persons were arrested and that police also searched a number of homes.A special team of detectives arrived on the island on Tuesday to conduct the operation which took place around 4:00 am on Wednesday morning. Police also searched at least two other homes after 8am also on Wednesday morning. Special detectives were seen at a home in Saunders and at another home in St. Peters as police continue to gather more information and evidence on the cases they are investigating.
Mos said the Police Force of St. Maarten (KPSM) in collaboration with the Kingdom Detective Cooperation team (RST) along with assistance of other law enforcement agencies made several arrests and conducted several house searches on St. Maarten.
The special actions were carried out under the orders of the Public Prosecutor's office in the form of a large scale investigation in connection with a number of violent murders on St. Maarten.
SMN News has been reliably informed that at least four of the suspects are well known to the St. Maarten community. They are Erno Labega Jr., Omar Jones, Ekron Morgan and Daniel Thomas. One source identified another suspect as Andrew but no details on the other suspects were available.
The TEAM GROOTSCHALIGE OPSPORING (TGO) team and local detectives are busy investigating the murder of Amador Jones, Miguel and Rodolpho Arrindell, Kevin Gumbs, Eric Lake, Sheldon Thomas, Mark Deygoo, Anthony Whyte, and Michael Grainville.
In an updated press release issued on Wednesday afternoon, Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed that eight suspects were arrested and a large sum of monies and drugs were confiscated. Wednesday's operation is called VESUVIUS.
Large Scale Investigation code name "VESUVIUS" leads to 8 arrests.
This morning - as was reported earlier today - within the frame of a Large Scale Investigation with the codename VESUVIUS, arrest-teams on Sint Maarten arrested a total of 8 persons. The suspects O.J. (35), C.R. (29), E.L. (28), C.F. (36), E.M. (34), D.T. (25), A.D. (30) – all residing on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten - were arrested simultaneously on different locations. On the French side, in collaboration with the Gendarmerie Nationale, one suspect K.M. (27) was arrested during these actions. His house was subsequently searched. 6 of the 8 suspects are Sint Marteners, whereas one suspect is from St. Vincent and one from Jamaica. House searches were conducted on ten separate locations. As a result of those searches several guns and other weapons were found, next to a considerable amount of drugs and money. The house searches were conducted with the use of 5 specially trained dogs, 1 from Sint Maarten, 1 from Aruba and 3 from Curaçao.
This Large Scale Investigation (TGO) codename "VESUVIUS" is an investigation conducted under the authority of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Sint Maarten and is carried out by the Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) in close cooperation with the nearly full capacity of the Kingdom Detective Cooperation Team (RST), assisted by members of RST from locations outside Sint Maarten. Many other law enforcement organizations joined in this close cooperation such as the Police Force of Curaçao (KPC), the Police Force of Aruba (KPA), Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland (Bonaire), the Police Force of the Netherlands, the Customs Department of Curaçao, the Royal Marechaussee, the Gendarmerie Nationale and the Coastguard. They all have provided and still are providing all necessary cooperation and assistance to this Large Scale Investigation. Until today more than 30 detectives have been working together in TGO Vesuvius and a total of 150 investigating officers took part in the actions of this morning.
During the past few months, the investigating team has conducted an in depth investigation and has identified the possible suspects and accomplices of at least five murders/liquidations and two attempted murders which took place between April and September of this year on Sint Maarten. The investigation indicates that these murders took place within the criminal scene.
The suspects who have been arrested, were brought before the acting prosecutor and were all remanded in custody. In the coming days, the suspects will be questioned and further investigation will be conducted into the confiscated items.
The Public Prosecution Service considers it appropriate to use this opportunity to thank all the services mentioned above and those authorities who carry their responsibility in all the countries within the Kingdom, as well as the Gendarmerie Nationale, for the outstanding cooperation during the preparation and execution of today's operations. The assistance rendered and still to be come are highly appreciated.
