A group of men including six Guyanese and three foreigners [Cuban, Venezuelan and Jamaican] were on Tuesday afternoon intercepted by police on the Barama River, North West District (NWD) and taken into custody after they were found to be in possession of a quantity of high powered firearms, ammunition and a bulletproof vest among other items.
This is according to Police “F” Division Commander, Ravindranauth Budhram, on Wednesday, who explained that based on intelligence information received, a joint patrol of law enforcement officials from the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force carried out a search on the boats the nine men were travelling in.
Police in a subsequent release detailed that after the arrests were made, officers uncovered and seized two (2) rifles -one (1) AR-15 and one (1) AK-47 -with one magazine each and a total of nineteen (19) live rounds of ammunition, one (1) bullet proof vest, two (2) boats, one (1) fiber glass and one (1) aluminum with a 250hp and a 48hp engines respectively, along with 1.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa.
These arrests, according to the Police “are very significant as several weeks ago there were reports of piracy in the Waini River area, several miles from the Police Floating Base MV Tamakay.”
The nine (9) suspects are; a 19 year-old sailor of Mabaruma, NWD; a 38-year-old Captain of Mora Moruca, NWD; a 25 year-old Cuban National; a 49 year-old miner of Port Kaituma, NWD; a 44 year-old Captain of Crane, West Coast Demerara; a 48 year-old Captain of Grove, EBD; a 53 year-old Mason of Albouystown, Georgetown and Jamaica; a 33 year-old Venezuela National and a 62 year-old Captain of Pomeroon River.
The suspects are being brought to the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, Eve Leary, as investigations continue.
