Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey
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DCP Fitz Bailey
By Clinton McGregor
Members of the security forces on Thursday conducted a major operation in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, in search of members of the Klansman Gang.
A member of the gang was fatally shot and three illegal firearms seized during the operation, which began about 5 a.m. A motor vehicle, cash, luxury items and designer clothing, valued at approximately $3 million were also seized.
Several enclaves of the gang were targeted in the operation, led by Deputy Commissioner Fitz Bailey and members of his team.
The deceased has been identified as 29-year-old Sunman McFarlane, otherwise called 'Max', of Ellerslie Avenue in Spanish Town.
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) is probing the incident.
Speaking at a press briefing Thursday afternoon, DCP Bailey said Thursday's operation marked the culmination of a nine-month long investigation led by the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch.
To date, he said, 31 members of the gang have been taken into custody in relation to murders and shootings.
The probe focused on the section of the Klansman gang controlled by incarcerated leader Tesha Miller.
DCP Bailey revealed that the Spanish Town-based Klansman gang - listed among the top five criminal organisations operating in Jamaica - has been linked to at least 800 murders across the island over the last nine years.
He said the authorities are determined to dismantle the gang which is operating in several other parishes, including St. James, Clarendon and the Corporate Area.
In 2018, gangs accounted for 80 per cent of the murders committed, the senior cop pointed out. But in 2023, he said they accounted for 67 per cent of murders recorded. According to DCP Bailey, this is evidence that the police's anti-gang strategy is working.
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