Five nabbed, luxury cars seized in St Andrew lottery scam probe

A police operation at an upscale apartment in Kingston 8 took a dramatic twist yesterday when a man allegedly hurled a car key through a window moments before officers stormed the premises, leading investigators to what they believe is a lottery scamming operation.

Five men were arrested during the raid at an apartment on King's Drive, where police seized several electronic devices and three luxury motor vehicles believed to be linked to scamming activities.

According to reports from the St Andrew North Police, the men were inside the apartment when officers approached the location. During the operation, investigators say an object was suddenly thrown through a window.

The item was quickly retrieved by officers and later identified as a key for a BMW motor vehicle.

Further searches of the apartment reportedly uncovered several "lead sheets", which investigators say are commonly used in lottery scamming operations. Police also found a key for a Mercedes Benz hidden inside the premises.

Investigators also seized multiple electronic devices, including 10 Apple iPhones, two Android phones, an Apple iPad, a MacBook laptop and an HP laptop, along with a Flow SIM card.

Police said that upon examining one of the cellphones, additional lead sheets containing names and addresses of overseas residents were discovered.

Three motor vehicles were also taken into police custody for safekeeping. They include a black Mercedes Benz, a white BMW 4 Series and a white BMW X6.

The five men were arrested on reasonable suspicion of possession of identification information and other related offences. They remain in police custody as investigations continue.

The Constant Spring Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is probing the case.

- Andre Williams

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