By RALPH BANWARIE Saturday, September 12 2009

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SEIZED: Police officers assist in loading a seized bulldozer onto a trailer. ...

Five persons were arrested and over $2 million worth of equipment seized by police when they raided an illegal quarrying site on Thursday at Pine Trace, Toco Road. Among the five detained is a police officer.

As a result, Snr Supt Margaret Sampson Browne, Officer in charge of Eastern Police Division assured that she will leave no stone unturned in dealing with crime in the division.

Police reported that at about 10:30 am Thursday they received information that people were carrying out illegal quarrying activities at about 20 miles into the Pine Trace forest on Toco Road.

A party of police officers from the Eastern Division headed by Sen Supt Margaret Sampson Browne, Sgt Beverley Paul, Cpl Allan Khan, PCs Jason Osuna, Shivan Samaroo and others responded where they saw the men carrying out the illegal quarrying activities on over five hectares of land.

The police officers asked the operators to produce their permits of operation, but none was presented.

They were subsequently cautioned, arrested, and all equipment on site confiscated by the police.

The equipment seized included a ten wheeler truck, an excavator and a bulldozer valued more than $2 million.

Browne recently made it public that she was accepting “zero tolerance” on illegal quarrying, and those who want to carry out the illegal activity will face the brunt of the law.

Browne said when illegal quarrying takes place thousands of trees are destroyed, water sheds become affected and wildlife is destroyed, resulting in a beaten environment. She said this was the situation at Pine Road where thousands of trees were uprooted and water beds filled, resulting in severe land erosion, and much flooding.

Browne said, “It is time people become more responsible towards the environment. Disturbing the environment means bringing hazards to the lives of people. People should become more environmentally conscious, money cannot repair the environment” she added.