Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

Four Jamaican fishermen, who were arrested last year after they were seen carrying eight AK-47 rifles, two revolvers and 75 rounds of ammunition from a boat, have been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each at hard labour.

Justice Donald McIntosh found them guilty on May 4 of 10 counts of illegal possession of firearms and illegal possession of ammunition. Sentencing was put off until yesterday.

They are 57-year-old Arden Ebanks of Mitchell Town, Clarendon; Alvin Ashby, 31, Carlington Parchment, 26, and 32-year-old Bryan Parchment, all of Newell, St. Elizabeth.

The judge sentenced them to 15 years' imprisonment each on the firearm charges and 10 years imprisonmenteach for illegal possession of ammunition. The sentences are to run concurrently so they will serve only 15 years.

They were arrested and charged following an operation by the St. Elizabeth police.

The Crown, represented by Maxine Jackson and Natalie Ebanks, Crown Counsel, led evidence in the Gun Court that about 3:00 a.m. on December 19, 2006, the police, acting on intelligence, went to the Great Bay Fishing Beach, St. Elizabeth, where they saw the four men on a boat. Three of the men left the boat carrying bags.

Parcels contained weapons

The men took the bags to an unoccupied guest house nearby. The police saw the men taking out two large parcels from the bags and swooped down on them. The parcels contained the weapons and ammunition. The police boarded the boat and held the fourth man, who was Ebanks.

The men said in their defence that the police were framing them. They said the police went to an area which was some distance from where they were, dug up the guns and then arrested and charged them.

Velma Hylton, Q.C. and attorney-at-law Lloyd Wiggan represented the men.

The men said in their defence that the police were framing them. They said the police went to an area which was some distance from where they were, dug up the guns and then arrested and charged them.