Two more persons arrested in probe of Beryllium attacks

The police have arrested two more persons in the ongoing probe of a series of multimillion-dollar robberies perpetrated against private security company Beryllium Limited.  

Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Criminal Investigations Branch Senior Superintendent Cleon Marsh has confirmed the developments. 

"I'm sitting in front of the suspects and their attorney. We are doing some interviews," he told The Gleaner Saturday afternoon.  

He declined to provide any further details so it is not clear to which incident the arrests are connected. 

Courier teams from Beryllium, which is owned by one largest private security firms in Jamaica, have been attacked on at least five occasions in the last 12 months, four of which took place within the last four months. 

- February 27 - Gunmen killed a security guard and injured two others, before making off with $10 million in cash at the Portmore Pines plaza in St Catherine. The guards were attempting to service Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at the JN Bank. 

- March 19 - Guards servicing the Scotiabank  ATMs at the Portmore Pines plaza were attacked by criminals who made off with $23 million. The driver of a courier van and three crew members were shot and injured. One man, Shemar Yee from Spanish Town in the parish, has been charged in that incident. Six other persons, including an employee, were taken into custody in relation to the robbery. 

- April 5 - Gunmen ambushed and attempted to rob an armoured Beryllium vehicle on a roadway in Balaclava, St Elizabeth. Lieutenant Commander George Overton, head of corporate communications at Guardsman Group, which owns Beryllium, said no one was injured in the incident and no money was stolen.

- April 29 - Security guards resisted a gun attack from criminals in an attempted robbery in Albion, St Thomas. The guards were attempting to service an ATM at a gas station. Overton said no money was stolen, but one of the guards was injured by the impact of a bullet on his vest. 

- June 8, 2022-  A courier vehicle that reportedly developed mechanical difficulties on along Jackson Road in Rollington Town, Kingston, was allegedly robbed of more than $20 million. Thirty-seven year-old Omeal Richards, otherwise called 'Kill Quick was charged later that month. 

This year's incidents triggered days of inconvenience for customers who could not access funds as the financial institutions and the company revised their systems. 

Beryllium announced in May that a specialised multi-disciplinary investigation team was appointed to go after criminal groups that have been targeting ATMs and cash-in-transit operations.

And the Government is to expedite amendments to the Private Security Regulation Authority PSRA Act to enable further specialised training and equipping of security officers amid attacks.

Guardsman employs approximately 2867 employees, according to figures on the PSRA's website.

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