West Kingston Enquiry: Reported shipment of illegal guns days before Tivoli operation

Retired Police Commissioner Owen Ellington has revealed that days before the 2010 police-military operations in Tivoli Gardens there were reports that an aircraft carrying a "shipment of guns" landed at the Vernamfield airstrip in Clarendon.

Ellington, who was giving evidence before the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry this morning, said the reports indicated that the plane landed some time between 10 p.m. and midnight on May 20.

The former commissioner was responding to questions from attorney for the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Peter Champagnie.

Ellington has disclosed that a boat carrying alleged gunmen was sighted in the Kingston Harbour heading towards Hellshire in Portmore, St Catherine. 

Evidence has been given at the enquiry that armed thugs were assembling in Tivoli Gardens as weapons were being amassed to confront the security forces as they attempted to arrest Coke.