Dancehall Artiste Laden Among Three Arrested, Charged For Gun Find

Dancehall artiste Laden is among three men arrested on Wednesday (October 28) after a firearm was ditched along a roadside in St Elizabeth.

Reports from the Black River Police are that about 10:40 p.m., lawmen were in the area when they signalled the driver of a black Mercedes Benz motor car to stop.

The driver initially complied but sped off when the Police approached. The Police went in pursuit and observed an object being thrown from the sunroof of the car.

The vehicle was subsequently intercepted and the occupants searched. The Police went back to the area where the object was thrown and retrieved a Hi-point 9mm pistol with a magazine containing one 9mm round of ammunition.

The men have been identified as 33-year-old Okeefe Aarons, otherwise called ‘Laden’, an entertainer of Dunder district, St. Elizabeth and 21-year-old Saaion Ebanks a labourer of Nembhard Town and Junction both in St. Elizabeth.

A 16-year-old boy was also one of those arrested and charged.

Laden rose to fame as a top 10 finalist in the Digicel Rising Stars competition in 2006.

The artiste had been signed to Big Ship Productions and had mega-success with the label, which credited for helping to produce his smash hit Time to Shine.