Prisoners are spearheading the illegal activities

A figure close to the Underworld of Crimes in Grenada has linked prisoners at the Richmond Hill prison to most of the illegal activities taking place on the island.

Speaking to THE NEW TODAY over the weekend, the source disclosed that 80% of the drug smuggling is organised from behind the walls of the Richmond Hill prison along with about 90% of the recent spate of gun-related crimes are directed by prisoners who are serving long-term sentences at the facility.

“I know that – I can say that without fear of being contradicted – that is a fact,” said the informant.

According to the source, just about every one of “these guys in the prison, especially in the Security area have mobile phones – not some, every one of them have cellphones.”

He also said that the prisoners whom he named have good link on the outside of the prison wall with persons in the community to assist them in their criminal activities.

The source also expressed fears that the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) is far away from winning the fight against the amount of illegal firearms in the country.

He spoke of personally being approached by criminal elements “offering me brand new AR-5 guns – the AR-5 is the semi-automatic long guns.”

He also disclosed that there were several 9mm guns in Grenada with laser points on them in the hands of these criminals.

“A guy came and he opened a box – brand new 9 mm laser guided. When the police say they have guns in Grenada and they pick up 26 guns, am like – what kind of joke is this?”

According to the source, he has personally seen “no less than 60 to 70 brand new guns” including .45 revolvers from these persons who are trading in illegal guns on the island.

He said that a lot of the illegal guns are coming through Carriacou and onto Mainland Grenada.

He suggested that it is time for the authorities including RGPF to put measures in place for passengers on boarding The Osprey Line to be checked with a metal detector.

“Once it (the illegal gun) gets into St Vincent – it is in Grenada because Union (Island) and Carriacou are right there (near to each other) – any blind man knows the connection between Union, Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” he said.

The source also pointed a finger at the fishing boats and the inter-island vessels as instruments for bringing into the country illegal weapons.

“…When these boats pull up to shore we need Customs and RGPF (to search them) – because of the problem with guns being an increasing problem, RGPF needs to set up a sub-station on the Carenage for these fishing boats,” he said.

The informant also suggested that the police need to put more mobile stations in strategic areas in the country to help curb the illegal arms and ammunition and drugs coming on the island for transshipment purposes.

Grenada is located between two major drug-trading islands – Trinidad & Tobago and St Vincent & The Grenadines.