Several persons were taken into police custody Friday night after a major local and federal raid on Rothschild Francis "Market" Square, reportedly in connection with drug trafficking.
The operation saw special agents of the Justice Department and agents of several federal agencies, including the Immigration and Naturalization Service, detain about a dozen persons for reasons unknown.
Dozens of agents corralled people from sidewalks, alleyways and the streets that lead to Savan, marching them to the bungalow where they were searched and questioned. Some were released almost immediately but others were detained and placed in an unmarked white van believed to be owned by the INS.
The operation lasted about 45 minutes and quieted an area of St. Thomas where hustle and bustle, and loud music from nearby bars, is the order of the night.
At the scene, Justice Department officials would not comment on the raid but one source said that it came about after weeks of surveillance of the area by a combined task force primarily concerned about the increased trafficking of drugs through the area.
Attorney General Iver Stridiron is expected to release full details on the raid over the next day or two.

A U.S. District Court jury has convicted former Public Works official George Patrick of defrauding the government when he provided illegal security services in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn in 1995.
The jury returned the verdict late Friday night after nine hours of deliberations, finding Patrick guilty of eight counts of making false claims against the government and nine counts of furthering the fraud through the postal system.
Prosecutors said throughout the trial that Patrick was not licensed to provide the services to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at various emergency staging areas across the island. They further charged he hired inexperienced guards who were not licensed to carry firearms, and that Patrick did not provided the number of guards contracted for.
Patrick remains free on bail pending his sentencing which is set to take place in about three months. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugh Mabe and presided over by District Court Judge Thomas K. Moore.
Patrick, a retired Solid Waste Director at Public Works, was represented by attorney Treston Moore.

The Virgin Islands Carnival Committee is sponsoring a logo design competition for Carnival 2002 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Virgin Islands Carnival. The contest is open to all students in public, private, and parochial schools.
A release from the carnival committee encouraged students "to put their creative and artistic energies into action to design a logo that will represent a half-century of culture and history of our Caribbean splendor."
The winning entry will promote Carnival 2002 and will be part of an international campaign inviting the world to celebrate the Golden Jubilee here in St.Thomas.
Entry deadline is April 1, 2001. Entries should be submitted to the Virgin Islands Carnival Committee headquarters to the attention of the archives sub-committee.
For more information contact Glenn Kwabena Davis at 775-6380 or 776-3112.

Gov. Charles W. Turnbull has offered his condolences to members of the India Association of the Virgin Islands regarding the massive earthquake that struck the western Indian state of Gujarat. At least 15,000 are believed to have been killed in the quake, which occurred one week ago.
In a letter to association President Lal Sakhrani, Turnbull said, "It is with much sadness that I write to express heartfelt sympathy to you, the members of the Association, and all in the Indian Community throughout the territory."
The governor said residents should honor the memory of those killed and offer prayers of comfort for those injured.
Turnbull was scheduled to be keynote speaker at this year's India Republic Day celebration, which was cancelled following the earthquake.

The St. John and St. Thomas Lottery Offices will close at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a general staff meeting.
Acting Director Austin Andrews apologizes for any inconvenience this closing may cause.

The St. John and St. Thomas Lottery Offices will close at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a general staff meeting.
Acting Directtor Austin Andrews apologizes for any inconvenience this closing may cause.

The St. John and St. Thomas Lottery Offices will be closed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a general staff meeting.
Acting Director Austin Andrews apologizes for any inconvenience this closing may cause.

The St. Thomas and St. John Lottery Offices will be closed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a general staff meeting.
Acting Director Autsin Andrews apologizes for any incovenience this closing may cause.

The $55,000 voting system installed in the Senate chambers on St. Thomas late last year has yet to be put to the test.
The electronic voting system was put in place by former Senate President Vargrave Richards at the end of the 23rd Legislature. But delays kept the system from being used during the marathon sessions in December that marked the end of the Legislature's term. Nor was the system used during the 24th Legislature’s first session in early January under the presidency of Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd.
And that has prompted another senator to question whether $55,000 in taxpayers’ money has been squandered.
"I urge you to not allow the people’s money to be spent in vain," Sen. Adlah Donastorg wrote to Liburd on Wednesday. "I am personally willing to begin using this new system as soon as is possible…"
Liburd, who is part of the new Senate majority bloc, said the new Legislature is still in transition, so he hasn’t had time to look into the issue. Liburd also said he was informed Friday that the system may not have been fully paid for.
He said the matter was essentially dropped into his lap and if he had had his choice, the system wouldn’t have been installed.
Liburd noted that Donastorg, as a member of the 23rd Legislature’s majority, probably knows more about the system than he does.
"Donastorg was part of the group that bought it. I wasn’t," he said. "We’ll look at it and the financial stuff. To the best of my knowledge, it hasn’t been paid for. My business office is looking into that now."
Former Senate President Richards couldn’t be reached for comment Friday to say whether the system was paid for.
While Donastorg said the reason for installing the system was to increase harmony and productivity during legislative sessions, Liburd said problems will still arise because of the rules of order used on the Senate floor.
The voting system not only records votes, it will record a senator's request to speak during debate. Rather than raising his or her hand or calling out to the chairperson, a senator will push a button on his desk.
Normally, Robert's Rules of Order and Mason's Rules dictate that the chairperson of a meeting or session has final say on recognizing a senator. Under those rules, certain requests, such as a motion or a point of order, take priority, something an electronic system cannot differentiate, Liburd said.
"The system is flawed," he said. "That’s one of the areas I’d like to see corrected."
Even in December, former majority Sens. Lorraine Berry and Roosevelt David had questioned whether the new majority would implement the system.
Donastorg said the system "eliminates a degree of subjectivity and helps level the playing field."
And even though the past Senate president didn’t use the system, Liburd said he now has to deal with it.
"Basically, it will be left up to me to find out how to use it," he said.

The V.I. Water and Power Authority has scheduled a water interruption from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday between Grand Hotel and the Braithwaite Insurance Building, to repair a water leak.
No further information was available Friday.