Law enforcement officials confiscated six illegal guns in 16 weeks

PHILIPSBURG — Public Prosecutor’s Office in St. Maarten has issued a press release stating that six illegal guns have been confiscated in the past 16 weeks.

According to the press release these weapons are related primarily to armed robberies committed against Front Street jewelry stores. The weapons were confiscated by the St. Maarten Police Force, KPSM, in collaboration with the Prosecutor’s Office.

These confiscations average at least one illegal firearm taken off the streets approximately every three weeks by law enforcement officials. The weapons were confiscated directly from suspects, found in (house) searches or from crime scenes.

While the removal of these deadly weapons from the streets is a good development, the Prosecutor’s Office in St. Maarten is still very concerned about the number of illegal firearms in the country and the use of these in the committing of crimes.

The ongoing cases that have yielded these illegal firearms are only some of the incidents in which firearms were used by criminals since the start of 2021.

Possession of an illegal firearm carries severe penalties under the Penal Code. Those penalties become even graver when weapons are used in a crime and/or used to assault, injure or kill another person.

Helping to rid the country of illegal weapons and removing these from the hands of criminals may aid in safeguarding a life, whether it is your own, that of a loved one or even someone else in the community, the Prosecutor’s Office states in its press release. Therefore, anyone in the community of Sint Maarten who knows about illegal weapons or have information about robberies or other crimes should contact the police. In conclusion, the Prosecutor’s Office states in its press release that information can be shared with law enforcement confidentially.