Protest erupts at Buxton as CANU arrests narco-trafficking suspect

Scores of residents from Buxton and surrounding communities have taken to the streets following a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit operation that resulted in the arrest of a suspect who has ties to the community of Buxton.

One woman said that the way the operation was conducted is what angered the residents as innocent persons could have been hurt in the process.

The protest saw the hurling of missiles at the police, blocking off the main road with debris, burning of said debris on the road, and the destruction of a privately owned truck that was passing through the community at the time.

When this publication visited the area, people were standing as they watched the truck and debris burning with smoke towering into the skies.

The police stood between the crowd and the burning objects even as the protestors, some of them, partly covered their faces.

Traffic was seen diverting to the Railway Embankment even as the police roved the thoroughfare to ensure the safe passage of motorists and other members of the public who were going about their business.

People living in the village and beyond were seen walking after they disembarked public transportation at the village of Annandale.

Contacted on Wednesday afternoon for a comment, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn explained that CANU was chasing after the suspect when the car in which the suspect was, ended up in a trench during an escape bid.

Minister Benn said shots were fired but no one was injured. The minister called on those behind the protest to call it off and expressed his willingness to meet with them and hear their specific concerns concerning the operations that prompted the protest. 51 pounds of marijuana was found after the car was searched.