KINGSTON, Jamaica – The police have, over a 24-hour period, seized five illegal firearms and a number of ammunition across the parishes of St Catherine, Manchester and St James and have detained 12 people in connection with the busts.

The first instance was Friday morning when the police searched a dwelling in Old Harbour, St Catherine and found two firearms — a 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol along with two magazines and 15 9mm rounds and a .38 Kurz pistol. A loaded magazine was also found with the .38 seizure. No arrests were made.

In Manchester, three men were held for questioning after the police found a Taurus 9mm pistol and a magazine containing nine 9mm rounds hidden in a bag at the back of the bus in which they were travelling. The bus was stopped at night along the Porus main road.

The third seizure occurred in Anchovy, St James on Saturday morning between 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock as the police carried out an operation at a night club in the area.

Two firearms were seized — a Carandina 9mm pistol with a magazine containing 12 9mm rounds and one Beretta 9mm pistol with a magazine containing 18 9mm rounds — and nine people detained in connection with the seizures.