Police shut down illegal quarrying

Twenty-two people are in police custody after an anti-crime exercise in Arima between Tuesday and Wednesday.

A police media release issued on Thursday said the people were arrested and six excavators seized by members of the Illegal Quarrying Unit, during an Operation Strike Back II exercise.

The exercise which was co-ordinated by acting DCP Forde, acting ACP James and acting Snr Supt David, began at 11am on Tuesday and ended at 5 pm on Wednesday.

It also involved officials from the Commissioner of State Lands and the Office of the Director of Minerals.

Police did surveillance of three illegal quarrying sites at Manuel Congo, Arima.