Weapons seizures are up 25% in the first half of Martinique, where 142 firearms have been seized since January 1, 2022, the prefecture of Martinique announced on Thursday June 30.
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"
It's 25% more than last year in the first half
," Stanislas Cazelles, prefect of Martinique, told the press during an operation to destroy 692 firearms recovered by the forces of the order from 2019 to 2021 on the island.
Of these 692 weapons destroyed in the port area of Fort-de-France, 503 were seized by law enforcement (gendarmerie, police, customs), 90 were recovered during the "
Lay down your arms
" operation and 99 were submitted spontaneously.
"
We seize a weapon one day out of three, and at the moment, it's more like one day out of two
," added General William Vaquette, commander of the Martinique gendarmerie.
“
There are indeed tampered with, DIY weapons, alarm weapons that become lethal weapons
,” observed Clarisse Taron, public prosecutor of Fort-de-France.
"
There are other weapons, of war those, which enter the territory in channels similar to those of narcotics or illegal immigration
", she added.
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Many of the weapons come from Russia, Brazil or the United States after transiting through Venezuela or the rest of the American continent.
The importation and circulation of weapons are a source of daily concern in Martinique.
There have been 13 homicides on the island since the start of 2022, all committed by firearm.