COMMANDER of ‘F’ Division (Lethem-Interior Locations), Ravindradat Budhram, has said that the hard work of police in the region has resulted in the seizure of 17 illegal firearms thus far for the year.

The latest such seizure occurred on Sunday when a Brazilian miner was arrested at her mining camp at the Black Water Backdam in Konawaruk, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) with an unlicensed single-barrel shotgun and one live cartridge.

Acting on information, police ranks descended on the suspect’s camp around 16:00hrs and made the discovery in her presence. The 47-year-old suspect, who speaks fluent English, has admitted ownership of the unlicensed firearm and ammunition and is being processed for court.

In 2016, the police seized a total of 109 illegal firearms, compared to 115 in 2015. These included 49 pistols, 32 revolvers, 26 shotguns, two rifles and one sub-machine gun.

Most of the weapons (46) were reportedly seized in “A” Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara), and “F” Division (34).