More extraditions to come — Chang

FROME, Westmoreland — Praising law enforcement for the hard work that has resulted in 21 alleged scammers and eight individuals suspected of being involved in major crimes being extradited since the start of the year, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang says there are more extraditions to come.

“To find them takes significant police work, not only in terms of technology working daily on the ground to find these people and between the joint operation group linked to telemarketing working with the C-TOC [Counter - Terrorism & Organized Crime Investigations] branch of the police. They have in fact extradited 21 and there are more to come. I can say that with confidence,” he said.

Dr Chang was speaking during a ceremony to break ground for the construction of the $175-million two-storey Frome Police Station in Westmoreland on Thursday.

Noting that smaller players are moving to fill the void left by 16 big players extradited, he spoke of the need to clamp down on those at the second-tier level.

“When you take out a big scammer, sometimes that causes a problem because the little one that is left behind starts to do things and use dem guns and therefore the killings don’t go down as we would like. But it is important that we disrupt these guys,” stated Dr Chang.

He added that there are 52 alleged scammers who are currently using the courts to fight efforts to send them overseas for trial.

“Between the joint team and the police, they are monitoring dozens of them out there and we are going to find them, catch them, and lock them up. I can say that with confidence,” said Dr Chang, though he conceded that some will escape the police’s dragnet.

The minister said scammers who are contributing to the country’s murder rate have been wreaking havoc in a number of communities including Westmoreland. It is vital, he said, for them to be apprehended.

“The director tells me that when that team meets they take them in packages in consultation with the police. And, working with the police, on a monthly basis they take out 12 at a time and they have not fallen behind as yet. So, there is more to come and sometimes they are going to go beyond that, I assure you,” he said.