FIVE firearms and a quantity of ammunition were recovered in the early hours of Tuesday morning in separate Police operations along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

According to the Guyana Police Force, the first operation was conducted around 01:00 hrs on Tuesday at Beterverwagting, ECD, and stemmed from a report made by a licensed firearm holder of Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who went to the Ruimveldt Police Station at about 10:00hrs on Christmas Day to report that his firearm was stolen.

He told the police that he suspected that it was his 16-year-old nephew, a student of a secondary school on the East Coast of Demerara, who stole his firearm (a brown-and-black .32 pistol) along with six matching rounds from his home.

The police have since arrested the teenager in Georgetown and questioned him about the missing firearm. The teen admitted to the police that he’d stolen the weapon, and given it to another 16-year-old male student who lives at Beterverwagting to hide it for him.

The police then conducted a joint operation and visited the home of the 16-year-old student at Beterverwagting, where he was questioned in the presence of his mother and admitted receiving the firearm.

As a result, he took the police ranks to the back of his home and pointed out where he’d hidden the firearm and matching rounds of ammunition. Both teens were arrested and are in custody as investigations continue.

Further, the second operation occurred at about 02:50 hrs on Tuesday, while the police were on mobile patrol duty with a Force motor vehicle in the vicinity of Melanie Damishana, ECD. The ranks, acting on information, went to ‘Melanie Market Road’, where they made contact with a 26-year-old miner.

As a search was about to be conducted on his person, the 26-year-old ran away in an attempt to escape. The ranks gave chase, and he was caught, but not before pelting a metal object under a nearby motorcar. The police recovered the object, which turned out to be a .32 Taurus revolver with four live, matching rounds of ammunition.

The suspect was told of the allegation, cautioned, but opted to remain silent. He was then arrested and escorted to the Vigilance Police Station, where the firearm and ammunition were lodged.
The third operation was carried out around 03:00hrs on Tuesday as a party of police ranks was on mobile patrol in the vicinity of Vigilance, East Coast Demerara. The ranks, acting on information received, went to 2Js Supermarket, located at Strathspey, East Coast Demerara, where 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 the Vigilance Police Station along with the two firearms and ammunition.

Meanwhile, at about 05:20hrs that morning, the same party of police ranks were on mobile patrol in the vicinity of Vigilance when they received certain information, and on arrival at ‘Melanie Market Road’, they saw a 31-year-old miner of Nabaclis running away. The ranks gave chase, and the suspect 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 there ranks found one firearm. The suspect was told of the offence committed, cautioned, arrested and escorted to the Vigilance Police Station along with the said firearm. Investigation is in progress.