BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN keeping with their stated goal of increasing drug prosecutions and convictions, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has conducted several drug interdiction exercises over the past few days.

According to a police press release, officers of the District B Crime Response Unit conducted operations in the Halfway Tree Mountain and uprooted 500 marijuana plants ranging in height from seedlings to five feet on Thursday (May 7).

It further informs that on the same day, 50 marijuana plants ranging in height from seedlings to four feet were found and uprooted in an abandoned property on Millionaire Street.

The plants were taken into custody in both incidences, although no one has yet been held accountable.

The release also states that on Monday (May 4), “police arrested and charged the following persons for possession of marijuana: Omax Bye of Fort Thomas Road; Kirk Hobson of Stapleton; Devon Francis of Blue Bell Alley; Wayne Ible of Fort Thomas Road; Kirt Reid of Neverson Street; Chas Pemberton of West Farm; Junior Revan of Boyds; Kemo Flemming of Trafalgar; Shane Amory of New Road Housing; and Leon Williams of Fort Thomas Road”.

The 10 men were subsequently released on bail and are expected to appear in court shortly.

In a press conference held earlier this year, Commissioner Austin Williams explained that stop and search operations and drug interdiction exercises had resulted in an 87 percent increase in drug prosecutions. He revealed that in 2008 there were 172 drug prosecutions, almost double 2007’s figure of 92, while the number of marijuana plants uprooted in the first two months of 2009 were 51 223, four times more than the 11 778 recorded in all of 2008.

Austin said he expected the trend to continue, based on a new strategy of intelligence-led policing and collaboration with the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force and other law enforcement agencies.

In other arrests, Kenrick Thomas of Upper College Street was arrested and charged on Thursday for robbery committed on Thursday, April 16 at Nevis Street.

Sandra Francis of Willetts Project, St. Pauls, was arrested and charged for the offences of “battery against police, obstruction and resisting arrest” committed on Thursday, as was Glenroy Seaton of Temple Alley for refusing to give his name when lawfully required by a police officer on that same day.

Simeon Govia of Christ Church was arrested and charged for wounding with intent. The offence was committed on May 5.