How Jamaican tourist hotspots are plagued by gang wars with murder rates 50 times higher than Britain
JAMAICA is famous for its sandy white beaches and tropical climate but is now becoming known for something much worse – a terrifying wave of murders.
A growing problem with gun violence and shootings has this year extended to tourist regions of the idyllic island.
The latest killings to make headlines are those of Brits Charlie and Gayle Anderson – who were found shot and burned on Friday near their home in Mount Pleasant.
The couple had moved to the country about a year ago to live out their dream retirement which they had worked and saved for in Britain since the 1950s.
But the grisly double-murder is just the latest of THOUSANDS to have occurred on the island over the past few years.
More and more of these are now occurring in Mount Pleasant, an inland district just north of the gang-ravaged capital of Kingston.
In 2016, while welcoming 3.8million cruise ship and overnight visitors, the island nation saw an astonishing 1,616 killings.
Incredibly, last year there were a record 335 murders in Montego Bay, which is a tourist hub home to the island’s airport and the harbour where cruise ships dock.
This murder rate is roughly 10 times worse than the US, and 50 times higher than in Britain.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office specifically warns about attacks against British tourists and those looking to resettle.
It warns: “Criminals have targeted visiting British nationals and those returning to resettle permanently in Jamaica.
“There have been some violent incidents, including armed robbery, murder and rape.
“Before returning to resettle, seek advice from the Jamaican High Commission in London and the local Jamaican Information Service.”
It also warns against travelling outside of tourist resorts, using public transport and visiting isolated beaches.
Jamaica’s National Security minister, Robert Montague, even declared a state of emergency in the area in January he hoped would help cops crackdown on the escalating killings.
He reportedly said: “Since the start of the year we have continued to see an unacceptable trend in the country’s murder rate.
“Naturally, some have become fearful and frightened. This is not lost on the government and as such, we have declared a state of emergency in St James.”
He added: “We asked for and are getting unprecedented support from the public.
“We ask that members of the public continue to flood us with information. Tell us where the guns are.
“Tell us where the gunmen, lotto scammers and criminals are.”
This state of emergency has been extended until at least August 2.
The country is also gripped by thousands of people carrying out a basic but highly successful lotto scam.
The premise for this is simple: the scammer will access foreigners’ details via hotel databases or call centres, ring them to tell them they’ve won the lottery, then ask for a “processing fee” so then can send them their winnings.
This is believed to have made some criminals upwards of £75,000 a week – fortunes which have also fuelled its gang wars.
According to , many lotto scammers use their riches to buy weapons or manpower, while others use it to pay for gang protection.
As a result, it fuels the country’s spiralling murder rate.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.