33 arrested, guns, ammo seized in raids

The police arrested 33 people, recovered a number of stolen items and seized several guns, ammunition and drugs during exercises in various divisions on Friday, according to a release on Saturday.

In the North Eastern Division, in response to information, officers searched the area around an abandoned building on Mango George Hill, Malick around 4.45pm and found a garbage bag with an AK-47 rifle loaded with nine rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and two number plates. They also found a bulletproof vest hidden between galvanized sheets.

In the North Central Division, police arrested three people in Arouca when they tried to run from the police. The officers also found a silver and black gun with a magazine with ten rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition, and caught a man who allegedly snatched a woman’s purse along St Michael Road, Tacarigua.

During an anti-crime exercise in the Central Division, a 28-year-old Freeport man was arrested for possession of cocaine. Also, a 50-year-old man was found with one Glock pistol and 12 rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition.

Based on intelligence, officers went to Foress Park Dump Road, Claxton Bay where they saw two men, one with a backpack, walking along the road. When the men saw the officers they ran and dropped the backpack, which had .38 revolver with two rounds of ammunition and 500 grammes of compressed high-grade marijuana.

Also in Central Division, during a joint anti-crime exercise with officers from the Stolen Vehicles Squad, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and Immigration South and North, a Couva man was detained for driving a stolen car. The white Toyota Aqua was reported stolen from a carpark in Chaguanas in September 2022.

In the Southern Division, 12 warrants were executed and six people arrested during an exercise conducted by Court and Process branch. Also, ten people were assisting police regarding enquiries related to various offences.

Four people were arrested for drug-related offences and one of them, a 48-year-old labourer, was charged for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. He is expected to appear at the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Also to appear in court on Monday was an 18-year-old Barrackpore man who was arrested and charged for possession of ammunition.

After an anti-crime exercise in the Western Division, three men were assisting the police with enquiries into various offences including larceny, robbery with violence, and shootings.

A Carenage man was also arrested for robbery while a Diego Martin man was arrested for store breaking and larceny.