Five persons are to be extradited to the United States (US) for lottery scamming-related offences and other serious crimes later this week, according to Major General Antony Anderson, Jamaica’s commissioner of police.

Anderson was speaking during a virtual press conference on Tuesday (July 5).

MAJOR SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR GANGS

The police commissioner said lottery scamming investigations would continue to be a significant area of collaboration between law enforcement entities locally and overseas, as the proceeds of scamming are used to purchase illegal guns, pay contract killers, and sustain the operations of gangs.

“Lottery scamming… is one of the major sources of funding for gangs and the criminal underworld, and it is increasingly the driver of murder and other violent crimes,” Anderson noted.

The police commissioner said that, just over a week ago, several persons were taken into custody for breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) Act following major police-military operations led by the Lottery Scam Taskforce in St Ann.

He said that, among those taken into custody was a 16-year-old and that five high-end motor vehicles were seized.

A GROWING TREND

In the meantime, Anderson said the involvement of young people in lottery scamming was becoming a growing trend and urged parents, guardians and teachers to be vigilant and report these activities to the police.

“We have seen the associated violence result in the death of family members and friends, so this is not a violent-less crime. It has had growing amounts of violence associated with it,” he said.