Drug Smuggling arrests made at the airport cargo facility. / Police busy dismantling a “car theft gang”.
Acting head of Communication Department
Inspector E.S. Josepha
Philipsburg, May 20th, 2020
Drug Smuggling arrests made at the airport cargo facility.
The Sint Maarten Police Force KPSM Alpha Team made two arrests on Tuesday, May 12th, 2020, in connection with drug smuggling.
A young man with the initials R.P. (26) and a young woman with initials Z.T.L. (23) were arrested for smuggling drugs through the Princess Juliana International Airport (P.J.I.A) cargo facilities. After a search of the cargo facilities the Alpha Team was able to uncover 467 grams worth of illegal narcotics. The drugs were confiscated, and the two youngsters were arrested.
The suspects were taken to the police station in Philipsburg, where they remain in police custody pending further investigation.
In a subsequent arrest, the Alpha Team arrested another young man with initials D.S. (24) on Friday, May 15th, 2020, on suspicions of smuggling 2,734 grams worth of drugs to the island. D.S. was brought to the police station in Philipsburg where he is being held for questioning. As this is still an ongoing investigation further information will be provided as it becomes available.
Police busy dismantling a “car theft gang”.
The Police Force of Sint Maarten is busy implementing its post-COVID-19 De-Escalation Plan. One of the actions mentioned in the plan is to stop and control vehicles that may be stolen.
During one of these controls that had taken place on Monday, May 18th, 2020, police officers stopped several vehicles that were suspected of being stolen. During one of these controls, the officers stopped the driver of a black Hyundai Tucson. During inspection of the vehicle, the officers became aware that the VIN numbers were tampered with and the vehicle had been sprayed over. The driver with the initials R.R.S.N. was immediately arrested and brought to the police station in Philipsburg where he is being held for questioning.
During the investigation on the stolen Tucson, the detectives became aware that R.R.S.N. was involved in the theft two (2) other vehicles where the VIN numbers were later changed and then resold.
Two other accomplices with the initials A.A.L. and M.S.L. who are involved in this car theft ring were later arrested and incarcerated pending further investigation. The two stolen cars, both being white grand i10s, were confiscated. The detective also searched several homes where spraying machines and equipment to change VIN numbers were found and confiscated. This investigation is still ongoing. More arrest will be made in the near future.
