Where did `Blackie's' millions go?
Tracking down the millions of dollars Linden `Blackie' London would have plundered from the fourteen robberies for which he was wanted is all part of the continuing investigations by the police. The proceeds from these robberies are estimated to be in excess of $100 million with most of this generated from the robberies pulled off within the past three years at the America Street cambio last year; at the Bel Air residence of Joe and Esther Pamday in 1998; and at the NIS head office last month. London was killed on February 11 by security forces after he was persuaded to come out of his hideout at the Toucan Guest House from where he had held police and army units at bay for about eleven hours. Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj told Stabroek News on Saturday that he would expect the police would consider tracing London's loot as an integral part of their investigations. Gajraj said that among the questions to be answered about London's share of the spoils is whether he worked as the agent for some person(s) or organisation. Important too, would be determining whether he sent his portion of the loot out of the country, handed it over to person(s) for safekeeping or simply stashed it away to spend at a more convenient time. London, before he actively engaged the attention of the police, is believed to have owned two dredges which he operated himself. Also, based on reports of his relatives in the aftermath of the America Street robbery, he was said to have owned at least one house on the East Bank of Demerara. Outside of this, he was not said to be a conspicuous spender giving rise to speculation that he has huge sums squirrelled away or was hired to commit these robberies and only got a cut of the take. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, is also of the opinion that locating London's loot would not be easy. He like Gajraj told Stabroek News on Friday that what has to be answered is whether or not London was his own agent and who his contacts were. Investigations into the $13 million heist at the NIS, which is one of the robberies for which London was wanted, is focused on uncovering the link between London's gang and the person(s) within the NIS establishment. Apart from the NIS and Panday robberies, the Police have tagged London with being involved in the robbery under arms of Didco Trading in Kingston from which burglars got away with almost $0.9 million; the B&N Cambio in America Street from which they escaped with $3 million; the Sixth Street Cummings Lodge robbery from which they stole $3.5 million in cash and jewellery; the Industry Housing Scheme robbery from which they made off with $0.8 million; and $1.5M in cash and jewellery from the Chelsea Park, Mahaica, holdup. These crimes were all pulled off during 1998 and 1999.
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