ONE Order gang member Napel Samuels was among the 135 people taken into police custody yesterday, following a joint police/military operation in Spanish Town.

Among the communities targeted in the operation were Chambers Lane, Railway Lane and Wellington Street, which are all aligned with the notorious gang.

Samuels, who is facing charges of shooting with intent and the illegal possession of firearm, was wanted for absconding bail.
Head of the St Catherine North Police Division, Superintendent Assan Thompson, said Samuels is one of the main players in the ongoing feud between the One Order and Klansman gangs which are based in the old capital.

"He is second in command to Negus (the reputed One Order gang leader). This is a man who is high on the pecking order, and we have more than a passing interest in him," Thompson told the Sunday Observer.

Meanwhile, the police yesterday processed, interviewed and released 10 of the people who were taken into custody during the operation, which also turned up a quantity of knives, scissors, ice picks and marijuana.

Life in the Gravel Heights and Tredegar Park communities has been severely disrupted in recent weeks as thugs have been engaged in a *lo**y fight for turf control. Last week, hundreds of Gravel Heights residents were forced to pack their belongings and flee the community after gunmen ordered them out of their homes, promising death if their words were not heeded.

But the police have said they would not allow the gunmen to maintain control of the communities.

"We will be keeping up the pressure until the place is fully stabilised and the lives of the citizens is restored to what it used to be or better," Thompson said.

The One Order and Klansman gangs have for years been at each other's throats, but a peace treaty inked a year ago has seen a lull in the violence until this most recent outbreak.

One Order is known to operate from Tawes Pen, Ellerslie Pen, Dempshire Pen, Shelta Rock, and Chambers Lane, among other communities in Spanish Town. Their Klansman rivals are known to have bases in De la Vega City, Fish Ground, Lakes Pen, Jones Avenue and Rivoli.

Police say both gangs run massive extortion rackets where they operate.