Police have confiscated more than $20,000 in gold jewelry seized during Monday’s raid on the Eagle Mini Mart in Frederiksted.
The jewelry was taken in an investigation and subsequent raid of the market’s “cash for gold” business, according to the police department.
Undercover agents twice visited the store in the weeks prior to the raid, offering gold jewelry for sale. According to St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Christopher Howell, the officers told the clerks that the gold wasn’t theirs and they needed to get rid of it quickly. Howells said the clerks bought the gold without getting identification, and never filed the required transaction report with the police.
Howell also said three juveniles arrested for burglary told the police they had sold the store gold they had stolen. Twenty officers raided the store Monday.
The gold jewelry was identified among items seized in the raid.
Howell said police have reason to believe much of the confiscated gold items may have come from other burglaries or robberies. People who have had gold items stolen in the months of March or April can bring a description of the items, along with a photo if available, to the Investigation Bureau for identification.
No one has yet been arrested, charged or cited in the investigation. According to the police department, the information has been turned over to the attorney general’s office for an opinion on how to proceed.
In a press conference Monday announcing the raid, Howell said that “cash for gold” dealers have to follow strict rules on reporting such sales, giving the police enough time to ascertain whether the items are stolen. Howell said the high price of gold – over $1,100 an ounce – makes it a tempting target, and makes cash for gold operations a motive for robbery.