Jamaican National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips...

Jamaican National Security Minister Dr Peter Phillips said he was pursuing plans to have the death penalty applied to cases in which people were found guilty of the importation of illegal guns. Phillips, who was speaking at the 60th annual conference of the Jamaica Police Federation in the northern parish of Trelawny, said he was seeking the cabinet's approval for the drafting of tougher penalties under the Firearms Act. "For all practical purposes persons who are responsible for the importation of illegal firearms and high-powered weapons and who distribute them into the hands of criminals are in effect responsible for many murders and the penalty must equal the crime committed," Phillips said.