Three arrested for selling booze without a licence

| 06/10/2013

(CNS) Updated: The police arrested three people early this morning on suspicion of selling alcohol without a licence and breaches of the music and dancing law. The RCIPS reported that they had launched an operation in the early hours of Sunday 6 October in the Sparky Drive area of George Town following reports of illegal sessions and illegal sale of intoxicating liquor. The operation led to the recovery and seizure of musical sound system, a variety of alcoholic beverages/liquor and a quantity of cash and three people were arrested. The arrests come in the wake of complaints being raised at a recent liquor licensing board meeting about the illegal sale of alcohol and the misuse of licenses by holders of mobile licenses.

Allegations had been made that when licenses are essentially sub-let for private events, the holders are not supervising the use of their booze licenses. The police admitted that they have been called to a number of events in the past but it appeared no action had been taken.

Speaking about the arrests at the weekend, an RCIPS spokesperson said, "This is a clear message to the public that police are enforcing a zero tolerance approach to illegal sessions and the illegal sale of intoxicating liquor. People found in breach of the law will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Government is currently reviewing the entire liquor licensing process and is requesting public input about the laws and restrictions currently on the sale of booze and how licenses are currently managed.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Whille this is a crime and there should be zero tolerance to all acts of crime, when we have to choose or are overwhelmed as Mr.Baines has stated many times, along with his Deputies and Chief Sups, and Sups, and Chief Inspectors, and Instectors, you have to pick a priority. And while a session may lead to further acts of criminality we cannot put the other crimes agains the common man, such as armed home invasions and door step armed muggings to the way side. If we can find time to hit a session for dance nad booze than we can have patrols and DETER the armed incidents and investigate who is doing what. I am sorry but if the RCIP is stretched so thin and running soooooo low on resources we should have better results than demonstrated. Full stop. This is another PR incident by them to appear they are not a laughing stock and hitting all crimes, but in reaality they are only catching small fries while the big ones swim away.

  2. Anonymous says:

    The people who have these parties are capitalizing on a market that will never dwindle. On the weekends many people want to go out to enjoy themselves in various venues while having a few drinks and a 12AM cut off is ridiculous!  If the RCIPS and the Liquor Board wants to put a stop to these after hour parties the solution is quite simple. Change the Saturday night 12AM cut off time. The only reason people attend sessions/after parties is because there is nothing else to do. Let’s be realistic what does a 12AM curfew on a Saturday night accomplish? The law was put in place decades ago because the powers that be didn’t want alcohol sold on Sunday (HOLY DAY). Now that would be all fine and well if at 12PM the same Sunday every bar and restaurant on Island didn’t open back up to sell liquor. After all it is the same Sunday (HOLY DAY). The law is outdated and makes absolutely no sense!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Good !! its about time, these hooligans think they can do as they are pleased with no regards for the laws of these Islands – yes we all know who they are, a bunch of money hungry crooks selling liquor which was probably stolen anyway !! I can see alot of what's happening here is what happens in our neighboring caribbean Islands, its their way of life and we should try our best to stear clear of all of this craziness because this is what leads to criminal activity!! ABIDE BY THE LAWS OR GET THROWN IN JAIL !! 

    • Anonymous says:

      I heard that the session was a BLAST!! I was going to check it out this Saturday as well, what a shame it might be closed.

       

       

  4. Anonymous says:

    The Police have an ALL around duty to perform.  Murders are not the only thing to be investigated and arrests made for.  If its breaking the law, its breaking the law.  Arrest them all and throw away the keys.  Why is it so hard for people today to live an honest life? Why do they have to break the laws? This is not the Cayman way of old, this is the imported new ways.  Well done RCIP, continue to clamp down on all things illegal.

  5. Anonymous says:

    RCIPS you are a joke!!

    • Anonymous says:

      We the people are a joke for not supporting the RCIPS in their investigation as it we the people make it harder because we dont speak up.

      Look at the vicious cycle here, "yo bro lets throw a party, bring nuff liquor and weed to make some money" (3 laws broken) start it after club and bars closed (1 laws broken) a youg lady get raped (1 law broken) some get youths get to intoxicated and crash the car(s) killing the passager or pedestrians ( can't count the amount of laws broken in this one) some one start an arguement and gets into a fight (1 law broken) then the individuals start shooting at one another and some get murdered (3 laws broken and lost of life) and then the retaliation on shooter.

      So "petty" crimes can and always will leads to major crimes. Stop laughing and start assistance whenever possible. And this is an island-wide issue not just in a certain district.

      Would you turn a blind eye from a "petty"leak in your roof? or would you fix the leak to before it causes major structural damage? Wake up, Speak up. LOL dat s@#t now.

  6. Anonymous says:

    I say congrats RCIP whenever you  break the law you break the law and is subject to punishment. Cayman's crime problem today came about as a result of us the citizen and the police being too tolerant with little infractions of the law and they mushroomed into the major crimes that we are experiencing today.  Whenever the RCIPS show law breakers that they have no tolerance for crime big or small the attitude of people will change.  We need to take the same approach on crime like Singapore.  While we are on illegal sessions, gathering and selling the police need to check out the Coe Wood beach in Bodden Town, the many illegal sessions in GT where drugs are consumed in the open and not to mention those people who sell food on construction sites each day from the trunk of their cars, yes and don't forget the number sellers who hang out onevery corner three times per day.  There is even a Saturday bazaars market held at the entrance of Northward.  How can we turn a blind eye to these illegal activities and expect that crime will not increase? Sin is sin and the same should apply to crime. Stop making excuses for crime people. 

     
     

  7. Anonymous says:

    Just hope that the morotorium is not lifted on the liquor license as we definately do not need any more night clubs as it is only sending our youth to destruction.

  8. Bludstanhan says:

    So there is blood running in the streets, and these yahoos are focusing on sessions and tinted windows?  Here is a suggestion, get the police force from in front of the computer screen trying to find criminals on facebook, and start walking the streets! 

    • Anonymous says:

      All crime needs to be addressed. If there had been violence at the illegal session you would expect the police to respond. Well, they responded before the sessions got to that point. Good on them. Licenced premises need to have security, etc., or loose their licence. For a reason. No one should floute the law and no one should be held to a lower standard. Or more blood will run, to use your phrase, because of alcohol fuelled rage.

    • Anonymous says:

      Except they are not focusing on the windows either …..

  9. Disgusted! says:

    0 tolerance for the next 2 weeks then it is back to the wild wild west. Just like the 0 tolerance of phone use…   Hell they can't keep people from parking on the double yellow lines, sidewalks or handicap spots. XXXX What a joke!

    • Anonymous says:

      Hey, one person cant be in two places at teh same time. Also, 100 RCIP officers cant be in the 200 places at the same time that a crime is being committed. I would like to see more police officers in the RCIPS, then we would most likely see more officers in the streets etc. watching out for crimes and more crimes being responded to and hopefully solved quickly.

       

      More officers mean more money by Govt to pay for them and their equipment necessary to fight crime and criminals. Let us not complain about RCIPS if we (politicians included) have not given them the tools (manpower and equipment) necessary to do the job right and quickly.

  10. Anonymous says:

    were there any cars there with tinted windows too or have you totally lost interest in that now too? seems so.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Sorry Folks, the law is black & white, no gray!

    These sort of things affect the legitimate business owners. 

    How dare anyone suggest that we only target the MAJOR Crime. What is Major Crime?

    Should we allow for drunk drivers to continue? Minor Crime right? Only until the harmless drunk swerves into your lane and kills your child, then he is considered a criminal or "Major Crime offender".

    The truth is that we have adopted (no pun intended) the habits of North America. If I am caught doing something, I find my closest neighbor that is doing something worse and make my wrong acceptable because "he is worse than I am".

    Or (my favorites) "I had no choice", or "my childhood made me this way", or "everyone else is doing it".. Blah Blah……

    We need to grow up and take responsibilities for our own damn actions. If it is minor, the punishment will reflect accordingly, if not, O well……

     

    Any day that the RCIP can get something done, we all complain. When they have their hands tied, you tell them they do nothing, make up your mind. And for the record, I'm not a Po Po, nor do I think they are professional, but I do know, we need them and they are trying.

     

    So give it a rest and "take wha ya get".

    One!

     

  12. Anonymous says:

    Brilliant. Just had a look on the comments on the Marina Drive murder article and everyone is screaming for the RCIPS to enforce ALL laws. How I laugh when it is probably the same people posting on this article and moaning about the RCIPS wasting their time enforcing the liquor laws. Damned if you do……..

  13. Anonymous says:

    Typical Caymanian response. These guys are our guys and they aren't doing anything that kills people so even if it is breaking the law, because they are Caymanian, ignore them and let them go about their business. So the young people get the idea from early on the law only applies in certain situations, especially when Caymanians are involved. And we wonder about the upsurge in crime?

  14. Rorschach says:

    Hey there "police spokesperson"..how about your kick David Baines awake and have him direct his plods to take a zero tolerance approach to Murder, Robbery, Burglary, Rape, Sexual Assault, speeding, expired license coupons, tinted windows, obscured license plates, and so on??  Once you start taking a zero tolerance approach to those…we may actually start to give two shits about illegal liquor sales…

  15. Anonymous says:

    yet another reason to amend the licensing laws around here….

  16. Anonymous says:

    Good, as long as they don't start enforcing the laws relating to drugs, or stealing pension monies from staff, or fronting, or money laundering, or corruption, or threatening violence, or illegal tinting on windows…

  17. Anonymous says:

    Wow The Police

    Is arresting for booze whilst Robbers and Drug deals and don’t forget Murderers are left to room our streets.

    Wow Wow Wow

  18. Anonymous says:

    Yet the guys at the beach hound tourists and sell them beer out of the trunk of their car….that's been reported to rcip and videotaped but yet it continues………

  19. Anonymous says:

    Ha! Well, it'll be interesting to hear who the persons were that were arrested. I heard the real targets were at the Harquail Theatre's parking lot. Some people can't see the trees because of the forest.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Really. We all understand that this is an act of criminality. However noone has been murdered at a session nor have there been reported acts of violence. With the ever escalting armed robberies and other armed incidents it would be an educated guess that the RCIP should divert all resources to those problems and not some petty dance and drinking session. This is a normal misuse of personel and why we are facing somuch MAJOR CRIME. With the wasting of money on a helicopter, and the CCTV on top of wasting the use of man power, the RCIP is not up to task to Police this community. The community is not impressed overall by the performance if this Police Service. There are some and small incidents of sucess with the pricey equipement but they are not the norm. We then reach to the issue of holding people with bail over their heads for extended periods of time. They tout arrest, however have very little to charge these people with crimnal acts, but it makes great PR. Perhaps instead of chasing small loads of Ganja and a session, we could direct these efforts to real crime and patrolling.? Food for thought????

    • Anonymous says:

      No. Small loads of ganga and illegal sessions are real crimes. And they need to be stamped out as much as 'large' loads and … really illegal sessions where they serve alcohol to people without age checks, have no security in case fights break out, … oh, wait. Maybe you just want the police to keep responding after-the-fact to violent crimes?