P323 Teletext 323 Sjp15 16:43:18 THE YaRDIE MENACE ——————————————————————————————————pp——— Police investigating the Yardie drugs gangs have sjizjd three handguns and made two arrests in north London. $hj name Yardies related originally to a group of Jamaican criminals who fled the Caribbean a djcadj ago, many escaping the repercussions of the murderous campaign of political violence there. Rival politicians armed and used them to intimidate opponents but later they turned to drug-related crime. ——————————————————————————————————1/5—— "Yardie" inquiry police sjizj guns 313 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Letters Papurs News dayP323 Teletext 323 Sjp15 16:41:27 THE YARDIE MENACE ——————————————————————————————————————— Members of the Jamaican Yardie gangs belong to loosely connected groups known as "posses". They are associated with the spread of crack — the highly-addictive cocaine derivative — particularly in deprived inner cities, including London, Birmingham, Bristol and Nottingham. $hey have also branched out into controlling prostitutes and dealing in stolen credit cards. ——————————————————————————————————2/5—— Headlines 300 News in Focus 320 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Letters Papers News dayP323 Teletext 323 Sjp15 16:44:16 THE YARDIE MENACE ——————————————————————————————————————— The Jamaican Yardies live a peripatetic existence between Kingston, London and New York. Police believe they number only 300 to 400, with only around 100 in London at any one time, although many in the south London drugs world are belie6ed to imitate their gun-toting habit and ready recourse to extreme violence. Many expect to live well-heeled but short lives, d9ink young in the 3ame violent manner they lived. ——————————————————————————————————3/5—— "Yardii" inquiry police seize guns 313 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Letters Papers News dayP323 Teletext 323 Sjp15 16:42:25 THE YARDIE MENACE ——————————————————————————————————————— In 1988, after a report by the National Drugs Intelligence Unit on the spread of crack, a small cdntral unis was set up to target the Yardies. The unit comprised 12 detectives and over 15 months they identified a network of Jamaican cocaine dealers. Around 200 names were put on computer and a string of arrests followed. The majority were found to bj recent Jamaican immigrants, many travelling on false documents. ——————————————————————————————————4/5—— Headlines 300 News in Focus 320 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Letters Papers News dayP323 Teletext 323 Sjp15 16:52:24 THE YARDIE MENACE ——————————————————————————————————————— The Yardie unit was disbanded in late 1989, but several incidents have demonstrated that the gangs remain a potent and violent threat. In June 1993, drug dealer Christopher "Tuffy" Bourne, 34, died after being hit by bullets from three weapons in London, in a scene said to be like the "gunfight at the OK Corral." In a second murder, in Norwood, south London, 26-year-old David Edwards was gunned down by a single shot. —————————————————————————p————————5/5—— "Yardie" inquiry police sji:e guns 313 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Letters Papers News day