BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS a result of the recent capture of and charges against Grenadian fugitive Kathron ‘Cuchi’ Fortune, Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley is calling on citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to report any abnormal or suspicious activity seen along the Federation’s coastline.
Fortune, branded an extremely dangerous criminal who is suspected to have been involved in a number of murders on neighbouring St. Maarten where he was residing, is wanted by police on that island for escaping from lawful custody.
According to reports coming out of St. Maarten, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday, February 15, 2016, Fortune was taken to a doctor’s clinic in Cay Hill when he managed to draw a firearm on the two guards who were with him at the time.
He took off on foot and was picked up by an unmarked vehicle, and had since been on the lam.
The fugitive was however captured in St. Kitts on Saturday (Jul. 29) by officers from District ‘B’, who had responded to the sighting of an unusual activity along the coastline in Cranstoun Bay, an area in the vicinity of Newton Ground.
He had illegally entered the Federation and had in his possession a high-powered rifle and telescope, a bulletproof vest, a backpack containing a quantity of cured marijuana, hashish [a marijuana derivative] and a sum of US currency.
The Grenadian was remanded at Her Majesty’s Prison after being charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition. He was also charged with illegal entry into the Federation, possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to supply.
According to a police communiqué, Commissioner Queeley said: “This illegal landing on Saturday, which allowed us to capture one person who has turned out to be a fugitive wanted in St. Maarten, underscores the clear and present danger we face by having open and porous borders."
“Our Security Forces on patrol, both on land and at sea, are only able to cover so much, and so I encourage our citizens to partner with us and report what they may see out of the ordinary happening along our coastlines.
“If you have a vantage point from where you live and you see activity along the coast in the middle of the night, call the police. If you see activity along a stretch of beach that is not normally used by fishermen, call the police.”
Commissioner Queeley also stated that what occurred on that Saturday morning is what the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force hopes for in the world of Citizen Safety where all the stars align.
“This,” he added, “was vigilance and situational awareness by our officers who saw something abnormal and responded, and luck in that the one we caught was a fugitive.”
The communiqué also stated that initial investigations indicate that the trip began in St. Maarten and that investigation into the matter is ongoing.
