Vibrant cocaine & human trafficking ring fuelling illegal guns- CoP Matthews
The Commissioner was at the time speaking on the topic of gun crimes during a Wednesday, October 7, 2020, edition of The Big Story with host Cathy O. Richards on JTV Channel 55.
Drugs trade vibrant in VI
Speaking on the local drugs trade, he said: “We hear the denials, saying it's not as bad as that, you know we’ve got a very vibrant cocaine smuggling trade here, we all know it, we've seized 126 kilos of cocaine in one house just two weeks ago.”
“You can’t tell me we don’t have a problem with the drugs importation or smuggling network,” CoP Matthews went on to say.
He said, as a result, the need for guns is greater, given the criminal networks and a demand for protection.
“They have to protect their assets in their eyes, even though the assets are completely illegal… and so the drugs trade, the human trafficking trade, all of that adds to the criminals' desire to carry a firearm to protect their assets,” he said.
Gun culture & outside influence
Speaking on the Caribbean and US influence on VI young men to freely carry guns, he said the territory is indeed vulnerable to adopting the gun culture of those regional countries.
“I hope and pray the government of the Virgin Islands never weakens its gun laws here. I hope if anything, it strengthens them,” Mr Matthews said.
He added that the only way to stay safe is to completely stamp out firearms in the VI, pointing to the US Virgin Islands' high crime rate involving guns as an example of why the territory should not make firearms freely available.
19 Responses to “Vibrant cocaine & human trafficking ring fuelling illegal guns- CoP Matthews”
Bigger the fools us. They laughing.... all the way to the bank....
Wake up VI!!
The COP is telling us about reason why he suspect that a dangerous weapon like guns are coming into our country, to be used to kill our people and to be used to rob and to destroy business, but we here talking about slavery?
Slavery was abolished long before any of us was born.
The only slavery, we experienced physically, is from each other in society today. We called our local employs so many names associated with slavery, but is white people you want to blame for that.
Just like how some of us dont believe in what is written in bible or other spiritual books, is the same way some of us never study readings about slavery.
Most of the people writing are intelligent people, but to take a an interest topic of security which has to do with our safety, and turn it into by whom and why we got enslaved, is absurd.
COP Mathew, continue doing what you doing for the BVI, because I know you didnt come to BVI to do anything bad to the people.
You came to be the COP, and when your time is complete, you will return to the UK.
We need to support the police in their fight against crime and violence in society. Protect your brother and sister.
Yes we have the third econimic pillar already. It was being down played all the while and we knew it,but since importation on other commodities were at the lowest low, it is now burst open wide.
Our Customs workers /Officers are sent around the place to check whats coming in these w0 and 40 feet containers do you see any Officers checking the containers the ARABS are bringing in ? Even their smaller shipments . Sometimes these same officers are delivering themselves. Is there a better place to start? Just tell me something else.. once you pay Peter to do something Paul would turn a blind eye for a portion while Harry would give the merchandice to Dick who would look for the Bill(s) while the (ac)c**(ant) keeps the check,who get caught up.