MONTEGO BAY, St James — The issue of whether the police are bypassing the law and accessing individuals’ phones without their permission was raised in the St James Parish Court earlier this week as two men faced charges of possession of identity information and possession of an access device.

Jefferey Smith and Dwight Reece appeared before Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton on Wednesday and the allegations made in the case against them involve identity-related digital data recovered during a police operation in St James. They are represented by attorneys Michael Hemmings and Henry McCurdy, respectively.

The court heard that on March 10, police conducted an intelligence-led operation in Mount Salem, St James, based on information received. During the operation, the home associated with the accused men was searched; however, nothing was reportedly found.