The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has stepped up operations targeting illegal firearms and drug networks, as authorities respond to a rise in gun-related crime across the island.
Law enforcement officials say the strategy, driven by intelligence and coordinated enforcement, is being led by the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit, with continued seizures and arrests recorded into 2026.
Head of the unit, Assistant Superintendent Shervon Mathieu, credited recent successes in part to public cooperation.
“First, let me start by thanking the public as it relates to the successes we have been making lately, especially last year with the amount of firearms and drugs that were intercepted by our unit,” he said. “Without the help of the public in certain instances, we would not have been able to have those successes.”
Mathieu stressed that the unit remains committed to aggressively pursuing illegal activity linked to organized crime.
“As members of the Gangs, Narcotics and Violence Unit, we will continue pursuing anything that is illegal as it relates to firearms, drugs, monies, illegal possession of controlled substances because this is our mandate,” he stated.
He identified the influx of illegal weapons as a central driver of violent crime in Saint Lucia.
“One of the main issues we have in Saint Lucia is the influx of weapons into our country, and we will try to do our best as it relates to dealing with some of these offences,” Mathieu added.
Authorities maintain that sustained collaboration between law enforcement and the public will be critical to curbing the spread of illegal firearms and improving national security.