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Chief Prosecutor Mr Tom Maan
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — In a press release issued by The Public Prosecutor of Sint Maarten, detectives of the Kingdom Detectives Cooperation Team (RST) and the Judge of Instruction carried out on Wednesday, March 16th two house searches in Dutch Quarter and on the French side.
The searches were carried out with the assistance of KPSM and the French Gendarmerie. With assistance of prison personnel there has also been a cell search in the prison on the same day.
Also the Customs Department joined in by conducting two extra inspections in the last week.
The searches were done in connection with a lengthy investigation of the RST called Efeze, led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, into international firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering. During the house searches several firearms and ammunition were found and seized.
Three suspects were arrested:
- R.R. (male, 23 years old),
- I.F. (female, 55 years old)
- V.R. (male, 81 years old).
All three suspects were taken into custody and lead before the Judge of Instruction on Friday, March 18th .
The judge deemed the arrests lawful and the Public Prosecutor, according to the law, extended the custody with eight (8) days. This investigation is in accordance with previous announcements made by the Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office that after the Stop, Drop & Go campaign in 2014 the police and judiciary will act sternly against illegal firearms.
Not only by conducting extra controls by the police and asking the judge to impose higher prison sentences, but also by aiming to stop illegal fire-arms entering the country.
The investigation is continuing and more arrests cannot be excluded.
Prosecutor confirms: Several firearms and ammunition seized, three arrests
