According to a source, who claims he participated in the theft of 500 truckloads of sand in late June from Coral Springs in Trelawny, the entire operation started on a Thursday evening and ended the Sunday night. No sand was drawn on Friday.

The source, who has requested anonymity, tells The Sunday Gleaner that he first stepped on to the property owned by Felicitas Limited at around 8:30 p.m. one Thursday in late June - nearly three hours after mining operations began. He had gone there to provide support for motor vehicles involved in the operation.

"Is when mi hear it pon di news mi realise seh a teef dem did a teef di sand," he relates.

Everything at the scene had him tricked. For starters, despite the beach being located nearly one mile from the main road, a new road had been cut leading to the shoreline.

cop keeping watch

Second, one policeman on a motorbike was keeping watch at the top of the road leading to the beach. The cop's job, at first glance, the source says, was to signal oncoming traffic to stop when a truck laden with sand was about to enter the roadway.

Operations on the beach were equally orderly. The only difference was that there were more persons of repute overseeing the activities.

The source says that one local government representative and a former politician came on the scene for a short while.

He says the politician was seen taking large sums of money from his sport-utility vehicle. He went on further to say he saw some of the cash, which was handed to a man from Westmoreland, who is said to be one of the contractors.

The other politician, who is a former member of parliament, was seen talking to the contractor during the early hours of the evening on the first night of the operation.

a thief is a thief

When the issue of the stolen sand surfaced in July, Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda pledged that no stone would be left unturned to bring those responsible to justice.

"They're thieves and a thief is a thief is a thief!" Samuda declared. "And if you're a little man trying to hustle and you steal, you're a thief. And if you're a big multimillionaire and you steal, you must suffer the consequences!" Samuda exclaimed then.

Fishermen, who claim to have witnessed the sand theft and reported it to Ras Astor Black, a politician/businessman who also lost some 40 truckloads of sand, corroborate the account of The Sunday Gleaner source of police complicity in the theft.

The fishermen said they saw flashing lights and a police service vehicle, along with several pieces of heavy-duty equipment, on one of the nights the sand was stolen.

Our source recounts that two policemen - both in uniform - stood guard, while the flasher from their service vehicle flickered throughout the night.

At the same time, the headlamps of the police patrol vehicle were well lit as it teamed with more than 100 vehicles to provide light on the beachfront.