North Eastern Division Police had a busy day yesterday with officers seizing seven guns and a cache of ammunition in several anti-crime exercises in Morvant and San Juan.The were made by officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force (NEDTF) and officers of the newly-formed Rapid Response Unit (RRU) led by Senior Supt Christopher Lewis.In the first exercise, around 1.45 pm, PC Wellington and WPC Samuel of the RRU, were on patrol on Second Street, Barataria, when they stopped and searched a man who was liming outside a bar.The 27-year-old suspect, of Santa Cruz, had a loaded .38 revolver with five rounds of ammunition tucked in his pants. He was taken to the Barataria Police Station.
Five of the guns were recovered almost simultaneously when officers of the NEDTF responded to a report of a suspicious activity at Sapodilla Hill, Red Hill Extention, Morvant.When the officers arrived on the scene, around 2 pm, they spotted a shotgun-wielding man wearing a ski mask, sitting near a wooden shack.Investigators said when the suspect saw the officers he got up, dropped the gun and ran through a track. The officers attempted to apprehend him but were unsuccessful.When they returned to the shack they found three pistols, a revolver, two magazines, 23 rounds of assorted ammunition and five kilos of marijuana, hidden in a bucket. The officers also found a ski mask and a camouflage jacket.Investigators believe the guns belonged to a gang that operates in the community and were used in recent robberies and shootings.
In a separate exercise, the 19-year-old son of a television presenter was arrested after police seized a shotgun in his car in San Juan.Around 4 pm officers were on patrol on Fourth Street, Barataria, when they noticed the suspect, who was driving a Nissan B15, going through a no entry sign.While searching the trunk of the car the officers found a 12-gauge shotgun and eight shotgun cartridges.The suspect was arrested and taken to the Morvant Police Station where he was being questioned up to last night.Insp Roger Alexander, Cpl Sunil Bharath and PCs Satish Mahabir, Clint Dass and Andell Celestine were involved in the exercises.