Police ranks seized firearms and ammunition during two separate intelligence-led operations along the East Coast Demerara corridor on Sunday evening.
In the first operation, conducted between 22:30hrs and 23:00hrs at Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara, ranks acting on information received went to the home of a 55-year-old farmer, where they conducted searches of the premises. Concealed in a black bag inside a drawer in a bedroom belonging to the farmer’s 26-year-old son, officers found six live 12-gauge cartridges, forty live 9mm rounds of ammunition and one air rifle.
While the search was ongoing, the 26-year-old son arrived at the location accompanied by his 23-year-old female partner. All four individuals — the farmer, his woman and the son with his partner — were informed of the offence and arrested. They were escorted to the Cove and John Police Station along with the seized items, which were lodged pending investigation. All four remain in custody.
In the second operation, conducted at around 18:30hrs in Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, ranks observed a 19-year-old Venezuelan national of Sophia standing on the Railway Embankment roadway near a business establishment with what appeared to be a bulky object in his waistband. As officers approached, the suspect was seen removing a black object from his waist and throwing it to the ground. The object was retrieved and found to be a suspected black 9mm pistol loaded with a magazine containing eight live rounds of ammunition.
When asked whether he held a firearm licence, the suspect reportedly stated that he did not. He was arrested and escorted to the Vigilance Police Station, where the firearm and ammunition were lodged. He remains in custody assisting with investigations.
