Suspected Gang Member Charged under Anti-Gang Legislation

#TurksandCaicosIslands, October 5, 2023 – A 24-year-old male appeared before a Magistrate today charged with offences under the Anti-Gang Ordinance.

WOODY VINCENT JEAN BAPTISTE alias “DRACO” of Dock Yard, Providenciales, was formally charged by
members of the Anti-Gang and Drugs Unit on October 01st.

The charges against Mr. Baptiste are: 1) Gang Membership, Contrary to Section 4(1) (b) of the Anti-Gang Ordinance; 2) Possession of an Imitation Firearm, Contrary to Section 22 (1) of the Firearms Ordinance. Mr. Baptiste was remanded into custody until December 01st for a sufficiency hearing. The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on August 02nd, 2023. Police reports state, that at around 3.11 p.m., the Police Command Center received a call about a group of men armed with firearms shooting at a location in Dock Yard.

Based on the information given, police officers were dispatched to the location. Following intensive investigations shortly after the incident, Mr. Baptiste was arrested.

Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said, “This is the first charge under the Anti-Gang Ordinance (2022) and it will not be the last. This legislation was introduced through collaboration with the RTCIPF and the TCI Government in response to the rise in serious crime and related gang activity along with 11 other national security-related Bills. We will continue to explore other legislation to allow Law Enforcement Officers to tackle serious crime and those criminals who seek to cause harm to our communities. I wish to commend my officers for their continued tireless work in making the TCI safe.”