'Big fish' reeled in
RYAN HAMILTON-DAVIS
A MAN considered as one of TT's most wanted and classified as a "top priority offender" who was wanted for several multiple murders in Northern Division is today in police custody thanks to the efforts of a hand-picked group of officers.
The man who goes by several aliases including "Grandison" was cornered by police while hiding in an apartment in D’abadie yesterday. The special task force included officers of the Northern Division Criminal Investigations Department, the Northern Division Task Force and the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit.
The man who was wanted in relation to several murders going as far back as 2016, was held with a Glock pistol loaded with 40 rounds of 9-mm calibre ammunition stored in an extended magazine clip.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mc Donald Jacob yesterday told Newsday that the man is the main suspect in a series of drive-by shootings in John Lane, Reid Lane and Boys Lane in D’Abadie.
In November 2016, six people were killed in two shootings. The first three, Frank Joseph, Kevin Plaza and Ricardo Singh, were shot dead while liming on John Lane. According to reports, a white Nissan Tiida with no license plates turned on to the street and shots were fired.
Reports indicated that a relative of the victims and a bystander who was hanging clothes out to dry were also shot in that incident. Less than two weeks after the shooting, three more people, Leon Sobers, Shivon Sobers and Joel Alexander, were also shot dead.
According to reports a gunman rode up on a bicycle and fired on the trio, while they were working at the Sobers’ family home on Reid Lane. Two more people were wounded and hospitalised in that shooting. Police believe the suspect held yesterday may be involved in at least one of these shootings as well as others which occurred in the area over the past three years.
ACP Jacob praised the effort of the officers in arresting the suspect, noting that selecting specific officers from several units is one of several new strategies formulated to catch priority criminals. He said the arrest was the culmination of months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, which led to the raid on the apartment yesterday.
“I am truly grateful for all the hard work this task force put in to catch Joseph,” Jacob said. “This was the result of months of hard work and sleepless nights. I also want to thank the superintendent for supporting the team as they worked to catch this criminal. Now we have to build on the case we already have to ensure that this criminal is brought to justice for his crimes.” The suspect will be placed on several ID parades this week, following which, a number of charges expected to be laid against him.
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"‘Big fish’ reeled in"