UPDATE: Nine charged in major Mandeville Operation Reset, police say

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Police are reporting that eight people were charged with breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Conversion Special Provisions) and one person was charged under the Dangerous Drugs Act following the execution of Operation Reset in Mandeville and Porus on Friday.

A 9mm Sig Sauer containing seven 9mm rounds was also seized in Scott Town, Greenvale after it was found in an abandoned building about 5:00 pm.

Operations Officer for Manchester Deputy Superintendent Valdin Amos said the operation which started about 10:00 am targeted several areas.

Throughout the day a strong contingent of police personnel swooped down on multiple premises across Mandeville and its environs detaining several people.

READ: WATCH: Police detain eight in Mandeville Operation Reset

Amos said the ongoing operation is part of an assault on criminal activities in the parish in search of prohibited weapons and a clampdown on lottery scamming activities.

He noted that some lottery scammers have amassed enough wealth to lease properties in upscale neighbourhoods for as long as five years in an effort to avoid detection.

“Wherever they are or hiding we are going to find them, whichever gated community they are in we will be at their doorstep,” he said.

On Thursday, head of the Manchester police, Deputy Superintendent Odean Dennis, implored citizens to be vigilant of strangers in their communities as he pointed to the prevalence of lottery scammers in once peaceful areas.

“One of the key things I am seeing as being [prevalent] in the parish is the number of scammers, it is almost as if they have found Manchester as a safe space and they have come into the place and infest it for want of a better term, it is something that I see that we are going to have to do significant work around,” he said during a meeting of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce at Golf View Hotel in Mandeville.

READ: Heat on for scammers infesting Manchester, says Dennis