- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 02/Aug 20:36

Guns seized, multiple arrests in nationwide anti-crime exercises

POLICE recovered guns – including two high-powered weapons found in El Socorro and Laventille – arrested a 17-year-old boy on robbery enquiries, and destroyed a marijuana field in Tobago during anti-crime operations over the last 72 hours. Several suspects were detained for various offences during a series of coordinated operations across multiple policing divisions on August 1 and 2, in state of emergency raids. A media release, on August 2, said the operations resulted in several “significant” arrests and marijuana with an estimated street value of over $125,000 was destroyed. In Tobago, between 6 am and 8 am, officers of the Tobago Divisional Task Force, led by PC Thorpe, discovered a marijuana field about 360 metres off Northside Road, Castara. The field, about the size of a lot of land, had 250 marijuana plants. Officers also found a camp area and a drying rack, all of which were destroyed on site. Based on intelligence received during “hybrid patrol duties” between 9 am and 2 pm, officers went to an abandoned wooden structure at Rose Hill, Laventille, where they recovered an M4 assault rifle fitted with a magazine containing 26 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition. No arrests were made, and PC Williams is continuing the investigation. Officers also responded to reports of armed men at a block party in Dan Kelly, Laventille. There, they observed a 38-year-old male suspect of Eastern Quarry Road, Laventille, acting suspiciously. He reportedly looked at the police and attempted to flee into a white concrete structure, but was pursued and held. [caption id="attachment_1169828" align="alignnone" width="768"] A pistol and ammunition seized by police during an operation in the Penal district. - Photo courtesy TTPS[/caption] A silver and black gun with a magazine was found concealed in his waistband. He was arrested and taken to the Besson Street Police Station. Police searched the premises under the Emergency Powers Regulations, and no further illegal items were found. In the Belmont area, officers found 110 grammes of marijuana in a black plastic bag concealed inside a concrete block. In the Mon Repos, San Fernando district, officers arrested two suspects: a 34-year-old man for possession of 120 grammes of marijuana, and the 17-year-old boy on robbery enquiries. Officers also recovered an AR-15 rifle wrapped in cling wrap and hidden behind an abandoned sofa in El Socorro. A suspect was held in Penal for possession of an illegal Beretta pistol and ammunition. In Eastern Trinidad, raids between July 31 and August 1 led to the arrest of four people for various offences. These included possession of ammunition, larceny enquiries and resisting arrest. In Toco, a suspect was also detained for possession of 81.3 grammes of marijuana. Road traffic operations between 8 am and 12 pm on August 1 in Arima resulted in officers issuing 19 fixed penalty notices for various offences. These included driving without a valid inspection or insurance, parking violations, using defective tyres and breaching traffic signs. Additionally, stop-and-search efforts in Maloney, La Horquetta, and San Rafael resulted in two fixed penalty notices being issued.   The post Guns seized, multiple arrests in nationwide anti-crime exercises appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.