THE police have confirmed that the main suspect in Thursday night’s shooting, which left two Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Law Enforcement and Investigation (LEID) officers nursing pellet wounds, was taken into custody Friday night.

Two other suspects were held on Thursday night, while the mastermind has been identified as Andrew Motielal.

Reports are that around 21:50hrs on Thursday, LEID officers were at a house at Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara speaking to the owner, when three vehicles–a Toyota Verossa and two minibuses, pulled up and its occupants began shooting at them.

The GRA officers were left no alternative but to return fire, causing the assailants to speed away.

The GRA said that acting on information received, around 21:00hrs, a team of officers coordinated an approach to intercept a motor vessel and motor vehicles suspected to be transporting uncustomed goods (a quantity of alcoholic beverages and foreign chicken) in Beehive, East Coast Demerara.

During the exercise, the officers observed a white Toyota motorcar turning into the street and stopping in front of the house that was under surveillance.

The occupants of the motor vehicle exited and proceeded to maliciously shoot at the LEID officers with an undisclosed number and calibre of firearms. LEID officers were forced to take evasive action and defensively returned fire in the general direction of the perpetrators with their GRA-issued firearms.

The perpetrators then retreated to their motor vehicle and sped away, which allowed LEID officers to regroup and exit the location safely.
It was then they realised, GRA said, that two of the officers had been shot with what appeared to be shotgun pellets to their arms and leg. The matter was immediately reported to the police.

According to GRA, despite the constant threat to their lives, LEID officers of the GRA continue to fearlessly execute their duty in an effort to safeguard the country’s revenue and curb the scourge of smuggling.

The Authority is enlisting the cooperation of the general public in providing information and assistance in apprehending persons involved in these illegal activities.