Police recover guns, ammo during East Coast operations

Police officers early Tuesday morning recovered five firearms and a quantity of ammunition during four operations conducted along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

According to a statement from Police Headquarters, the first operation was conducted around 01:00hrs at Beterverwagting.

It stemmed from a report made by Clarence Griffith, a licensed firearm holder of Aubrey Barker Road, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who went to Ruimveldt Police Station at about 10:00hrs on Christmas Day and reported that his firearm was stolen.

Griffith told police officers that he suspected his 16-year-old nephew, a student at a secondary school on the ECD, stole his brown and black .32 pistol along with six matching rounds from his home.

Police later arrested the teenager in Georgetown and questioned him about the missing firearm. The teen admitted that he stole the weapon and related to Police that he handed over the firearm to another 16-year-old student who lives at Beterverwagting, for him to hide it.

Acting on this information, a joint operation with ranks from Regional Divisions 4A and 4C was conducted. The ranks went to the home of the 16-year-old student at Beterverwagting, where he was contacted in the presence of his mother.

He was questioned about the firearm and he admitted to receiving it from Griffith’s nephew.

He then took the Police to the back of his house and pointed out a spot where he hid the firearm and six matching rounds of ammunition. Both teenagers are in custody as investigations continue.

Then, at about 02:50hrs, officers on mobile patrol duty went to Melanie Market Road where they made contact with a 26-year-old gold miner.

Just as a search was about to be conducted on his person, the 26-year-old fled.

The officers gave chase and caught the man but he threw a metal object under a nearby car.

When the officers recovered the object, it was a .32 taurus revolver with four live matching rounds of ammunition.

The suspect was told of the allegation, cautioned, and he remained silent. He was then arrested and escorted to Vigilance Police Station along with the said firearm and ammunition.

In another operation, conducted at around 03:00hrs, officers on mobile patrol duty in the vicinity of Vigilance, went to the 2J’s Supermarket in Strathspey.

There, they made contact with a 29-year-old businessman of Bladen Hall. A search was conducted on his person and one black .32 taurus pistol with eight live matching rounds of ammunition was found in his crotch.

A further search was carried out on him, and in his left-side pants pocket, the ranks found one black and silver firearm with seven live matching rounds of ammunition.

The businessman was told of the offence committed, cautioned, arrested and escorted to Vigilance Police Station along with the two firearms and ammunition.

Finally, at around 05:20hrs, the same officers went to the Melanie Market Road.

On arrival, the officers saw a 31-year-old gold miner of Nabaclis running away.

The officers chased after him and he was seen throwing an object on the southern parapet. The suspect was apprehended, and a search was carried out on his person, but nothing was found.

The suspect was taken back to the area where he threw the object and one firearm was found on the parapet.

The suspect was told of the offence committed, cautioned, arrested and escorted to Vigilance Police Station along with the said firearm.