30 arrested in anti-crime operation... another gun and ammo seized

WESTERN Division officers stormed a Carenage house Wednesday night and seized a Smith and Wesson revolver along with six rounds of .38 special ammunition.

A 26-year-old man was arrested as a result of the find and police said he is to be placed on a number of identification parades relating to robberies in the Northern Division. Police said they had the house, situated on Beard Street, under surveillance for some time after which a party of officers headed by Sgt Stephen Joefield and others stormed the house and made the discovery. The 26-year-old man is one of 30 people that officers of the Western Division held during an anti-crime exercise spearheaded by acting Sr Supt Quashie, Supt Mohammed and Acting Insp Lezama. The operation was led by Sgts Joefield and Moonilal. The other 29 were picked up for various offences ranging from drug possession, robbery inquiries and outstanding warrants. They appeared before a Port-of-Spain magistrate yesterday to answer the charges.

The Smith and Wesson revolver is the 19th firearm the police have recovered since Acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs announced a new war on crime on July 15. The new crime initiative has also brought in over 400 rounds of ammunition and yielded the arrests of several people, among them two people who were eventually charged with kidnapping and falsely imprisoning teenagers Yves Ayoung Chee and Benedict Barrette. Warrants are out for three other men in connection with those kidnappings. Among the trio is Sheldon “Skelly” Lovell, dubbed by the police as the country’s most wanted man.