Arima man held with gun, ammo in Cedros

AN ARIMA man will appear before a Point Fortin magistrate today charged with possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition, after his arrest in Cedros on Saturday morning. The man will be accompanied to court by a 30-year-old  Cedros man who was also held and charged with driving a vehicle without valid insurance and Driver’s Permit. According to reports, both men were spotted by police in a car at Granville Village, Cedros, around 12.30 am on Saturday.

It was reported that a team of police led by Sgt Rohan Pardasie and including acting Cpl Birjah and PCs Banga and Ramcharan, acting on a tip, intercepted the car and searched the vehicle and the two male occupants. The Arima man was reportedly found with a nine-millimetre semi-automatic pistol tucked in his pants at the waist. The officers also recovered three live rounds of ammunition and a spent shell.   Both men were taken to Cedros Police Station where they were interrogated. The Arima man, whose home was subsequently searched by police, was charged with possession of arms and ammunition while the other man was charged with driving without a valid Driver’s Permit and insurance. Charges were laid by PC Ramcharan and Banga respectively.

In an unrelated story, Cedros police have beefed up patrols along the coast following information that several persons were searching the area in the wake of last week’s seizure of ten kilos of cocaine and a cache of arms and ammunition at a beach in Los Gallos. Police intelligence revealed that several persons were swooping down on Los Gallos and other beaches by boat and on land, to carry out searches for cocaine and/or guns which they believe may be buried in the sand or hidden under rocks. Police sources also confirmed that additional searches were being carried out for more hidden illegal items and that the Coast Guard had been notified and alerted to be on the lookout for any vessels engaged in illegal activities on the seas.

Last week, police from several agencies including the Anti-Crime Unit formed by Government and headed by Brigadier Peter Joseph, swooped down on Los Gallos beach after receiving information and discovered cocaine and arms and ammunition buried in the sand. Police believe the illegal loot may have originated in neighbouring Venezuela.