Squash Set To Face Gun Charges In Miami-Dade County Court On April 2
Dancehall artist Squash will know the full raft of charges he will face when he appears in the Miami-Dade County court for an arrangement hearing on April 2.
The legal team representing the Sweepstake Life artist will find out if he can seek bail once he enters a plea.
The 33-year-old deejay, whose real name is Andrae Maurice Whittaker, has been in the custody of the FDC Miami in Florida since late February after he was detained on charges of illegal possession of a modified firearm (a chip Glock) and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
Squash, who lacks legal status in the United States, was already facing immigration proceedings stemming from his initial ICE detention in May 2023 for overstaying his work visa. He was held at ICE’s Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, before being transferred to the Federal Detention Center in Miami.
According to a Nationwide News report, on February 24, Squash was stopped by police in the 100 Block of 41st in Miami Beach, for a traffic violation. The entertainer and a man identified as 24-year-old Zidanne George Prescott, were signalled to pullover their gray Mercedes-Benz car.
The police say while approaching the car, Squash, who was the passenger, was observed reaching for his waistband and placing a black object in the glove box.
According to detectives, Prescott was driving with a suspended license. When questioned, he said there were no weapons in the car and consented to a search.
The police say they immediately went to the passenger side glove box and a gun was found. The gun, a Glock 19, was modified with an invisi-switch plate designed to make the weapon fire automatically. The modification turned the gun into what is popularly referred to as a ‘chip Glock’.
A further search of the car revealed a Glock 35 .40 calibre gun with an extended magazine under the driver’s seat. The police say that gun was not securely fastened and readily accessible for immediate use.
The police also found three loaded magazines, one in the driver side door, one in the centre console and one in the trunk.
Both men were arrested and charged.
Squash has had multiple run-ins with the law including a 2018 five month detention in Jamaica under a State Of Emergency (SOE) sweep in St. James due to increased crime and violence in the parish. He left Jamaica in September 2019 and has not returned to the island.
Squash’s associates also maintain a rocky relationship with the law.
In November 2022, an associate of Squash, Jahreme ‘JMan’ Shelton, was slapped with two charges of first-degree murder in Florida, which US investigators connected to an ongoing gang war that originated in St James, Jamaica. According to Shelton’s arrest affidavit, an anonymous tip suggested that men with the aliases “Squashman,” “J-Man,” and “Freeman,” all affiliated with the G City gang, were involved in the killings.