Spanish Town murder charges filed as JCF reports record cocaine seizures

A 15-year-old student and a 35-year-old construction worker from Quarry Hill, St. Catherine, have been charged with murder and several firearm-related offences in connection with the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Miguel Anderson, also known as Bingy, on June 13. Senior Superintendent Nicholson, commanding officer for the St. Catherine North Division, said the incident occurred sometime after 8:00 p.m. in the Quarry Hill area of Spanish Town. The other accused is Sherman Wright, also called Jam. Both face counts including shooting with intent, malicious destruction of property, unauthorized possession of prohibited weapons and ammunition, and using a firearm to commit a felony. Nicholson said two people were in custody within ten days of the killing.

Clarendon police reported that members of the specialized operations branch seized two AK-47 magazines, one pistol magazine, and 52 live rounds in Linstead on Wednesday. No arrests were made and investigations are continuing.

Portland native Kemar Downer, 39, also known as Short Boss, was released on US$2,500 bail after appearing in Nantucket District Court in Massachusetts on Wednesday on two charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. According to US media reports, Downer pleaded not guilty after allegedly stabbing another man in what he described as self-defence. The Nantucket Current reported that surveillance footage shows a man in a safety vest approaching Downer and striking him repeatedly before Downer slashed at the man, who was later airlifted to a mainland hospital. Downer must wear a GPS monitoring device and have no contact with the victim.

Dancehall producer Andrae Hugh Sutherland, 33, who performs as Country Hype, was sentenced in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday to five years and ten months in prison after admitting to gun smuggling. On one count of smuggling goods from the United States, he received 70 months; on a count of delivering a firearm to a common carrier without written notification, he received 60 months, to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a US$200 special assessment and to serve three years of supervised release after prison. Judge Roy Altman presided. Sutherland had sought a 36-month term, while prosecutors argued for 70 to 75 months on charges carrying a maximum of ten years. He has worked with artists including Intense, Alkaline, and Conscience. Law enforcement sources link him to supplying gangs in Jamaica with illegal guns, including a 2015 attempt to smuggle weapons into Kingston under the alias Jimmy Roberts, when the Jamaica Constabulary Force seized 24 handguns, six rifles, 32 magazines, and 102 rounds of ammunition.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force said its Anti-Narcotics Investigation Division seized more than 5,100 kg, or over 11,000 lb, of cocaine in the first six months of 2026, with an estimated street value of approximately J$3 billion. Police said the figure exceeds the combined total seized over six consecutive years from 2016 to 2021 and is more than double the previous annual record of 2,508 kg set in 2024. Superintendent Petrie Row said the haul represents a significant blow to criminal organizations and has disrupted syndicate finances linked to violence in several communities.

Three students remain in police custody in St. James and are expected to be charged shortly in a cyberbullying case involving impersonation, defamatory remarks, and serious threats against pupils at Montego Bay High School. Police said the probe began last year and has intensified in recent days. Children's advocate Dan Gordon Harrison said the case shows offenders cannot hide behind screens, and urged schools to integrate digital literacy while noting that Section 9 of the Cyber Crimes Act makes it an offence to use a computer or phone to send menacing or distressing messages.