2006-03-nieuwsbronnen-engels

NEWSDAY -- PAULINE LUMFAI screamed out in anguish, “the nasty boys will pay.”

Her cries for justice echoed throughout the funeral service yesterday at the family’s home at Orange Valley just 300 feet from the canefield where the body of her six year-old son, Sean Luke, a second year pupil was found buggered and beaten on Wednesday morning.

In police custody yesterday being interrogated by Homicide detectives about the crime committed last Sunday afternoon were three boys - a 14 year-old of Belmont, and a 16 and 17 year-old of Orange Valley. Police are searching for two others, including a nine-year-old boy.

Detectives are expected to consult with the Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson today on whether charges will be laid against the youths. Throughout the nation yesterday, e-mails and text messages circulated calling for citizens to wear black clothing in protest at the killing and sexual assault of the toddler.

The funeral saw a turnout of almost 300 mourners, who packed the boy’s home at Henry Street, and lined the roadway. Among the mourners was a representative of the U.S. Embassy, Councillors of the Chaguanas Borough Corporation and pathologist Dr Eastlyn McDonald Burris who conducted the autopsy on the six-year-old. Dr Burris reportedly told relatives it was one of the most heinous cases she had seen, after finding that a cane stalk was plunged into the toddler’s body causing his internal organs to rupture.

At the funeral service yesterday, Lumfai at first sat behind relatives for the first part of the service, weeping quietly with Sean’s father, Daniel Luke at her side. At one point, Sean’s father looked to Sean’s mother and sobbed, “that is our baby, that is our baby there.”

But when close relatives were asked to perform the Hindu rituals on the body and Lumfai sat next to the casket, her emotions overcame her. Her anguished cries rang out as pupils of the Waterloo Hindu School, where Sean attended, placed flowers on top of his casket, which was decorated with balloons emblazoned “I Love You” and a teddy bear.

Officiating pundit Dave Rampersad asked the schoolchildren to say a prayer for their deceased schoolmate for his soul to find its way to heaven. Pundit Rampersad, who is also a primary school teacher, in delivering the sermon said the perpetrators who committed Sean’s heinous killing will feel the wrath of God on judgment day.

Rampersad told mourners, “All over this nation people are crying and grieving the loss of this child. And they are asking, ‘Is God asleep? Doesn’t he care?’ But let me say to those criminals who want to inflict pain and suffering on the innocent lives in this manner, ‘today for me, tomorrow for you’.

Rampersad said the demise and death of little Sean was a wake up call to the political and other leaders to “take up the mantle” and ensure the lives of children are kept under safe guard. The pundit also called on parents to teach their children about God. “Children are taking lives of innocent children like Sean Luke”, Pundit Rampersad said. “Those criminals came from homes, but where are their parents in this? What are the children looking at on TV and on the internet? What are in their school bags?”

Secretary General of Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Sat Maharaj, said the principal, teachers and children of the school where Sean attended were deeply shocked and traumatised over “a crime so heinous that even the Gods have shed tears”. Deputy Mayor of the Chaguanas Regional Corporation Orlando Nagessar implored mourners not to forget the painful fate that Sean Luke suffered in death.

According to Nagessar, “Trinidad is a seven-day wonder. By next week we will forget this and wait in anxiety on what will be next or who will be next. My advice to you is to be your brother’s keeper”. The body was interred at the Waterloo Public Cemetery. (Susan Mohammed/Guyana Cronicle)

THE Police Force yesterday put out a wanted bulletin for Roger Khan, also known as Shaheed Khan, the local businessman whose business places, in and around Georgetown, were raided in recent joint operations by the Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

Police in a press release said Khan, of 133 Rotunda Place, D’Aguiar’s Park, Houston, is wanted in connection with investigations into the discovery of firearms, ammunition, drugs and other illegal items found during the Joint Services operation conducted two Sundays ago.

The Joint Services said the four-day operation was part of the search for 33 high-powered AK-47 rifles and five pistols reported stolen from the GDF Camp Ayanganna headquarters. None of the stolen guns were found in the widespread raids.

SEARCHES CONTINUE: Police and soldiers move in on this house in Bel Air Gardens yesterday.

They also searched his D’Aguiar’s Park home and deployed a team to Kaow Island in the Essequibo River, where he also owns a sawmilling operation.

One of the places also searched during the raid was the Blue Iguana nightclub owned by Royston Peniston and his wife Phaedra Pearson. Both have been charged with unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of narcotics for trafficking and possession of a stolen or unlawfully obtained passport and are due to return to court on April 5.

In addition to Khan, three other men are also listed by the police as being wanted in connection with the items discovered during the March 19 operation: Paul Rodrigues of 29, Dadanawa Street, Section K, Campbellville; Ricardo Rodrigues of Bel Air Springs; and Gerald Pereira of 86 Lamaha Springs, all Georgetown addresses.

Paul Rodrigues and Gerald Pereira were former policemen. Police and soldiers yesterday continued their searches, including of a house in the posh Bel Air Gardens in Georgetown. (Guyana Cronicle)

Fredroy Willabus and Lloyd Roberts, two of the four men for whom wanted bulletins were issued following the recent joint services operations in and around the city, yesterday surrendered to police accompanied by their attorney.

Sheldon Chase and Blue Iguana owner, Royston Peniston were the other two men for whom wanted bulletins were issued.

Peniston surrendered last week and was charged on Monday with possession of unlisenced firearms, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a passport suspected to be stolen or unlawfully obtained. He was granted bail in the sum of $200,000.

Police Public Relations Officer, John Sauers yesterday confirmed that Willabus and Roberts are now in police custody.

It is not clear what Willabus and Roberts have to answer to, but police last week Monday had issued the wanted bulletins for the four in connection with the investigations into the discovery of firearms, ammunition, drugs and other illegal items found during the joint services exercises.

Seven handguns, police and army uniforms, 41 small containers of cocaine and a bullet-proof pick-up were some of the items seized during the joint services raids. Moreover, four AK-47 magazines were also retrieved. The lawmen had carried out searches at many popular business places including the Blue Iguana Night Club, Club Avalanche,

The Reef, Buddy's Night Club and several entities connected to businessman Roger Khan. Some 18 persons were arrested during the raids including Khan's reputed wife who was taken away from her Eccles home along with her brother after some spent shells were found near her residence.

Searches were also carried out at the Master's Touch Carpeting business at Second Street, Bel Air; a house at 133 Rotunda Place, D'Aguiar's Park, Houston; a five-storey building in Station Street, Kitty (an unfinished structure); the Dream Works office in Garnett Street and Kaow Island in the Essequibo River

The massive operations by the joint services were in an effort to recover the 33 AK-47s and five pistols that were discovered missing from the army storage bond at Camp Ayangana on February 27. While the police and the army have conducted several raids over the past few weeks they have still not found any of the weapons. (Stabroek News)

Boat hijack suspects held

Police have detained two suspects as investigations continue into the dramatic holdup and robbery by four gun-toting bandits masquerading as passengers on a speedboat last Wednesday in the Essequibo River.

A source said the suspects who are reportedly not from the area, were to be placed on an identification parade yesterday. Some residents of a riverain community not far from Parika, on the East Bank Essequibo, had reported seeing early Thursday morning four men in water-soaked clothes.

The men had claimed that their boat had capsized in the Essequibo River, sources said. The riverain residents reported seeing too, empty suitcases and handbags floating in the river Thursday morning. Persons at the Parika Stelling also said that at about 03:30h Thursday, they saw men driving off in a black 4x4 Cruiser.

Among the 15 victims aboard the boat when the bandits struck were owner Stephen Belle and his wife Zenelle who were both returning from overseas; their eldest son Conan who had gone to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri to meet them, and another Bartica businessman Sadeek Rasul, also known as `Bobby’.

The latter, who was returning home after conducting financial business in the city, had a huge sum of money on his person and in a bag, a relative said. The ordeal which began about half an hour after the boat left Parika Stelling at 17:30 h Wednesday, took place in the vicinity of Baboon Hole, an uninhabited island on the Essequibo River.

The passengers, some of them beaten and gun-butted, were robbed of all their valuables and other personal effects valued at more than $6M, before they were tied with duct-tape and straps from lifejackets and thrown overboard near the island. The bandits made good their escape taking with them the captain of the boat, Esmond Beckles, after they had encountered problems while trying to start the engine.

The victims were rescued later Thursday when two men in a passing speedboat heard their collective calls for help. A search party which returned to the island later that day, found Beckles still in the water on the other side of the island, after he reportedly escaped from the gunmen by jumping overboard. The boat was found abandoned Thursday morning not far from the Parika Stelling. (Guyana Cronicle)

Taxi driver Lloyd Kandasammy was shot dead outside the restaurant at the corner of Camp and Middle Streets Saturday afternoon after an alleged altercation ensuing from a disagreement over a purchase.

The security service to which the guard belongs yesterday said it was too early for it to comment on the incident since investigations were ongoing. Kandasammy, 55, of Quamina Street, Georgetown, was a former fireman. (Guyana Cronicle)

Wanted man killed in Buxton shoot-out

Ryan Sutton, called “Reverend”, of Vigilance Squatting Area, East Coast Demerara, was shot dead during a Police raid at Buxton early yesterday morning.

During a cordon and search operation in the village just after 05:15 h, the Police came under heavy and sustained gunfire from a group of armed men using tracer rounds.

The Police returned fire, and later Sutton was found, dressed all over black, with a M15 rifle strapped to his back, along with a black pouch with 331 rounds of matching 5.56mm ammunition and 16 rounds 7.62 x 39 calibre ammunition. Sutton was wanted for questioning in connection with a number of reports of murder and robbery under arms.

Following this armed confrontation, a group of women from Friendship and Vigilance squatting areas came out and began to behave in a hostile manner towards the Police. In the process, they began shouting in what seemed to be efforts to alert other gunmen to the presence of the Police.

Subsequently, another group of armed men opened fire on the ranks resulting in a Police corporal being shot in his left hip. The Police returned fire and it is believed that another of the gunmen was shot. The injured policeman was admitted a patient at a private hospital and is in a stable condition.

During the operation, the Police searched 25 houses and six men were arrested and taken into custody, pending investigations into criminal offences. The ranks also found a quantity of medical supplies that included antibiotic treatment, bandages, gauze, dressings and foot powder, as well as six arrows, one bow, four spears, one green flack jacket, one pair of camouflage pants, one green army-type bag, one camouflage hammock, one sheet, and one camouflage jersey.

The Police on Saturday morning also mounted a cordon and search operation at Agricola and McDoom, East Bank Demerara. Roads were blocked and female plainclothes cops helped frisk persons during the operation which lasted for several hours. Police said they searched 26 houses and arrested eight persons, including two women, pending investigations into criminal offences. (Guyana Cronicle)

(GINA) Community Policing Groups (CPG) countrywide continue to benefit from several initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, as efforts to enhance crime-fighting capabilities continue.

Minister of Home Affairs Gail Teixeira yesterday indicated that a vehicle will soon be provided to boost patrols by the CPG in Division ‘C’.

The Minister disclosed this at the Annual General Meeting of the ‘C’ Division CPG at the Cove and John Police Station, East Coast Demerara.

Acknowledging the integral role CPGs play in reducing crime, the Minister said, “We need to strengthen our policing groups in order to create safe neighbourhoods. Community Policing Groups have been an important intervention in deterring crime.”

She indicated that a Ministerial Unit is being streamlined to strengthen and advance the efforts of CPGs. Minister Teixeira noted however, that the Unit must not be seen replacing the CPGs, but as an entity established to mediate between policing groups and the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Several other crime-fighting initiatives were highlighted by the Minister, including the Neighbourhood Police programme, and the establishment of a Crime Observatory. The Neighbourhood Police entails the enlistment of individuals who would be tasked with policing responsibilities in their respective communities.

The Crime Observatory will provide ‘ball-by-ball’ information about criminal activities. This information will be fed into a database, and will provide valuable intelligence on a host of events. On March 19, Minister Teixeira handed over four vehicles valued at $12M to Commander of the GPF ‘B’ Division Clinton Conway to boost crime-fighting in the region.

The vehicles, which include three extra- cab pick-ups and a single-cab pick-up, were distributed to several Community Policing Groups in the Division. Two each were given to groups in West and East Berbice. Government’s interventions in tackling crime and the drug trade have intensified, as the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with several entities, move toward the realisation of benchmarks identified in the National Drug Strategy Master Plan launched in June 2005, by President Bharrat Jagdeo. (Guyana Cronicle)

The speedboat (foreground) moored alongside the Parika stelling yesterday morning.

Four men with handguns hijacked a speed boat travelling to Bartica on Wednesday afternoon, robbing the passengers of millions before leaving them overnight on an island in the Essequibo River and fleeing with the boat and forcing the captain along.

The captain later fled his abductors by jumping into the river and swimming to shore. This incident is likely to raise concerns about security in that area.

The day before, the Parika fishport complex was robbed of $500,000 by three gunmen and the guards in this case were duct-taped as were the passengers from Wednesday's attack.

One of the passengers told Stabroek News yesterday that they were assaulted and robbed before being bound with duct tape and left on Worm Island near Aliki. Aliki is a community of about 150 persons 30 minutes up the Essequibo River from Parika by speed boat.

The captain of the boat, Emon `Chip Chip' Beckles of Bartica, jumped out of the vessel a few miles from Worm Island, where he was later found "while it was moving" and swam to shore as the gunmen were making their escape, this newspaper was told.

According to one of the victims, the robbers had joined the boat at Parika as passengers, two travelling at the bow and two at the stern. It appeared that they had intended to leave Beckles on the island with the rest of passengers but decided to take him along when they had trouble starting the engine as they were preparing to escape.

Once the bandits reached their getaway point, they abandoned the boat leaving it adrift. It was tied up alongside the Parika stelling yesterday morning.

Some of the passengers left on the island managed to loosen their bonds and helped the others free themselves. A fisherman yesterday morning heard their cries, picked them up and took them to shore where a speed boat collected them. About fourteen people were travelling on the boat at the time.

Among those on the boat were Bartica businessman Stephen Belle, and his wife who was returning from overseas. The bandits relieved her of some US$900, four of her suitcases, two hand pieces and her handbag containing her documents. Reports are that another businessman on the boat was robbed of $4M. The men also relieved all the passengers of their valuables and a firearm belonging to a licensed firearm holder. The passengers gave statements to the police at the Parika Police Station yesterday morning.

A boatman working the Parika-Leguan route said several shells from rounds fired by the bandits into the air were inside the boat. It is unclear when these shots were fired. (George Gomes/Stabroek News)

Soldiers arrested in Suriname ammo theft probe

Cops checking Guyana links

POLICE in Suriname are looking at possible links with arms theft from a military base in Guyana after detaining at least six persons having discovered missing explosives and ammunition from an Army arms depot in the neighbouring Dutch-speaking republic.

"Among the arrested are army men and civilians," Procurator-General (PG) Subhas Punwasi said in an AFP report carried on Caribbean Net News yesterday. "We are looking at possible links between the robberies in arms depots in western neighbour Guyana and southern neighbour Brazil" which took place at the same time, he said.

Persons managed to steal 181 hand grenades, 200 M1 cartridges and 500 cartridges for machine guns on February 17 from the depot, located at the Ayoko military barracks some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Paramaribo, the Caribbean Net News report said. Police authorities in Guyana and Brazil have also made some arrests, Punwasi was quoted as saying.

In the past three years, ammunition, heavy arms and hand grenades have been stolen from other Suriname army depots, police stations, the central intelligence organisation, and information services, the news report stated. (Guyana Cronicle)

Search for stolen AK-47s continues

THE Joint Services yesterday continued their intensified efforts to recover high-powered guns stolen from the Army’s Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown but there were no high-profile operations like those over the weekend and Monday, a spokesman said.

The Joint Services spokesman who did not want to be quoted said they were “doing things” which if revealed could compromise the operations.

The popular Blue Iguana nightclub in Alberttown, Georgetown, which was searched Sunday and Monday, was not back in business yesterday. The management claimed a large quantity of their expensive liquor was carted off by the search parties and said damage to their property during the raids ran into the millions of dollars.

Management of the Reef restaurant in Garnette Street, Georgetown, also accused the Policemen and soldiers who searched their place of taking off with a large quantity of expensive liquor. This business too was closed yesterday. The Reef was one of the businesses of Roger Khan targeted by the Joint Services in the cordon and search operations launched over the weekend.

It was not clear if his Dreamworks Housing Development unit was back in operation yesterday, and an official claimed that computer hardware and software used in the day to day operations of the company was seized. Khan’s carpet business in the city, his private residence in D’Aguiar Park, Georgetown, the home of his reputed wife in Eccles, Eats Bank Demerara and his property at Kaow island in the Essequibo River, were also searched by the joint forces.

In the operation which the Joint Services said was launched Friday, the Police and Army reported finding guns and ammunition, arresting several persons, and detaining more than 175 motor vehicles, many of them heavily tinted and some with questionable documents. Positing that “no individual or area is off limits,” the Joint Services said they will be carrying out follow up operations to recover the 33 AK-47 rifles and five pistols which have disappeared from Camp Ayanaganna.

The Police yesterday did not report success in the apprehension of the four men they said were wanted for questioning following the operations.

Fredroy Willabus of either of four addresses - 39 Hadfield Street, Lodge; 72 Sandy Babb Street, Kitty; 107 Woodpecker Lane, Linden, and Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

A joint release said Police on Friday established a number of checkpoints along the lower East Coast Demerara and Georgetown and conducted roadblocks and cordon and search operations aimed at apprehending criminals and seizing illegal firearms and ammunition. A number of persons were questioned and based on the credible information received a joint Police/Army task force executed roadblocks and cordon and searches early Sunday morning through Monday, the Joint Forces said.

During the joint operation early Sunday morning, roadblocks were conducted on the East Coast Demerara and East Bank Demerara and these led to the execution of cordon and search operations, the release said. As a result of the Sunday early morning operation nine males and two females were arrested and a number of items seized, the Joint Services said.

The release said the items seized were: seven handguns, two pellet guns, two pistol magazines with three live 9mm rounds, four heavily tinted vehicles, including an F 150 bullet proof pick up truck, seven hand-held radios, three mobile telephones, 41 small containers with cocaine and one Guyana passport.

As operations continued during the day, searches were also conducted at three houses in the city at North East La Penitence, 239 Pike Street Kitty, and 19 Bel Air Promenade, Prashad Nagar, the release said. In North East La Penitence, four persons were arrested and the following items seized: a quantity of live and blank ammunition, four AK 47 magazines, and two cleaning kits.

The release added that during the search at Pike Street two persons were arrested and the following items found: two revolvers, one pistol, and a quantity of ammunition. At the house in Prashad Nagar a quantity of police uniforms was discovered, it said. Early Monday morning, roadblocks were put up at Beterverwagting and Sparendam, East Coast Demerara and these transitioned into cordon and search operations, the Joint Services said.

Cordon and searches were conducted at the popular Buddy’s Night Club in Sheriff Street, where a “motor vehicle of interest” to the security forces was seized; the also popular Avalanche Night Club in Sheriff Street; a house at U Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, where one male was arrested and a quantity of military uniforms seized; and La Chalet Country Club in Soesdyke, where one male was arrested.

The Joint Services said they will conduct several follow-up operations and reiterated the determination to recover the weapons. (Guyana Cronicle)

PNCR concerned at `bugging’ of Police Commissioner’s phone

THE apparent `bugging’ of the telephones of Police Commissioner Winston Felix by “criminal enterprises” is a serious breach of national security and has far-reaching implications for all Guyanese, the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) contended yesterday.

The party said whether the mysterious tape which surfaced on Monday is “a fabrication or the actual bugging” of a private telephone conversation of the person charged with the constitutional responsibility for internal security, the activity is clearly unlawful and dangerous.

The mysterious voice recording of a conversation, or an amalgamation of several conversations, between Mr Felix and PNCR Member of Parliament, Mr Basil Williams, surfaced in media and other circles Monday, triggering concerns in some quarters about the impact it could have on the top brass in national security.

The repeated broadcast of the audio tape by a private TV station on Monday night also stirred speculation about the authenticity of the recording. Williams, at a news conference the PNCR held at its Congress Place, Sophia headquarters yesterday morning, said he has a copy of the audio tape and he has listened to the tape (CD). He also did not deny that one of the voices on the tape was his.

What he questioned, however, was whether the tape was “an amalgamation” of several telephone conversations he has had with Felix in the recent past since he claimed that it does not seem to be that of a ‘one-off’ conversation between himself and Felix. Williams was also adamant that there was nothing “controversial or subversive” on the tape.

“I have had the occasion to listen to what purports to be a recording between the Police Commissioner and myself…but I cannot know whether the author of that composite tape is saying the conversation is a one-off conversation or whether there are several conversations cut out from different eavesdropped conversations,” he offered.

As such, he argued that only the “author” of the tape can come forward and “authenticate” it and until such time he will not deal with the “content” of the tape. Williams also told reporters that as an Attorney-at-Law, Vice Chairman of the PNCR and a Member of Parliament, it is not unusual for him to have conversations with the Police Commissioner.

He said he has in fact spoken to Felix on numerous occasions and on diverse issues in the past with regards to both his profession and as a member of the PNCR. He also stressed that the (alleged) tapping of the Police Commissioner’s telephone lines was a “serious breach of national security” and has far reaching implications.

PNCR General Secretary, Mr Oscar Clarke contended that the airing of the “alleged taped telephone conversation” by the National Television Network (NTN) Channel 18/Cable 69, a station which he described as closely aligned to the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), without regard to either its legality or the security implications, was also a matter of grave concern to the party and ought to be for the people of Guyana.

“The eagerness with which the (television) station sought to publicise the alleged taped conversation without any concern for the serious implications of criminal enterprises tapping the telephone conversation of the Commissioner of Police is alarming, and points to the clear link between its owners and organised crime and exposes their clumsy attempts to undermine the high professional reputation and credibility of the Commissioner of Police,” Clarke posited.

He expressed the hope that whoever is responsible for the production of the illegal wire tap of the commissioner’s alleged telephone conversation is identified and brought before the courts. “The fact that the drug lords and their sponsors have the ability to tap phones has serious implications for all Guyanese. Anyone's phone conversation could be recorded, including leaders of the opposition parties, army commanders, visiting dignitaries, businessmen, diplomats, trade unionists, et cetera.”

“This incident goes beyond the fight against the drug lords (and) its implications are extremely dangerous and far-reaching,” the PNCR General Secretary told reporters. “This ill-gotten material is now being released, not for any noble purpose but, with the sole aim of destroying the credibility of the Commissioner of Police,” he asserted. This, it is hoped, will distract the Guyana Police Force from its efforts to dismantle organised crime in the country, Clarke said.

He claimed there was a nefarious plot between the PPP and criminal interests to undermine the Police Force and its Commissioner at a time when they have finally begun to take positive action against organised crime in Guyana. He said that in recent days the Police Force, in collaboration with the Guyana Defence Force, was involved in a number of security exercises aimed at organised criminal enterprises.

These exercises, apparently triggered by the disappearance of a number of high-powered weapons from the Army’s Camp Ayanganna base, included road blocks, vehicle searches and raids on private homes and businesses.

The PNCR noted that on Sunday last, the security forces conducted searches of properties connected to a businessman who was recently named in the U.S. State Department Drug Report as a well-known drug trafficker.

Clarke said his party understands that a number of drug barons, who hitherto operated in flagrant defiance of the security forces, were now on the run. The Police, he said, have finally shown the resolve to uproot the criminal menace that pervades the Guyanese society by taking the fight to organised crime. This is a welcome development, but Clarke said it will be overly optimistic to expect that the narco-enterprise would be easily crushed since the “resources and political connections of the narco bosses are quite formidable”.

The PNCR called on the Police Force and the Army to remain focused on the task of destroying the criminal menace and not to be “distracted by the machinations of the crime bosses and their political sponsors”. (Guyana Cronicle)

CORDON: Police and soldiers at a cordon and search operation on Sheriff Street, Georgetown

THE Police Force and the Army yesterday continued their hunt for the high-powered weapons stolen from Army headquarters with further raids on the Blue Iguana nightclub and on two other popular city nightspots, among other places.

In an operation which they said was launched on Friday, the Police and Army reported finding guns and ammunition, arresting several persons, and detaining more than 175 motor vehicles, many of them heavily tinted and some with questionable documents.

A joint Police/Army press release said those arrested included two men and a woman at 106 Ixora Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara, the home of the `child mother’ of businessman Roger Khan. And the Police said they are looking for four men in connection with operations on Sunday.

Soldiers posted at the Blue Iguana nightclub in Alberttown, Georgetown yesterday.

Those wanted are: Sheldon Chase of 19 “A”, Bel Air Promenade; former Policeman Roberts of North Ruimveldt; Royston Teniston of 2167 North Ruimveldt, and Fredroy Willabus of either of four addresses - 39 Hadfield Street, Lodge; 72 Sandy Babb Street, Kitty; 107 Woodpecker Lane, Linden, and Amelia’s Ward, Linden.

On Sunday, Guyana Defence Force (GDF) troops and policemen swooped on all of Khan’s known businesses in Georgetown – Dreamworks Housing Development in Garnette Street; the Reef Club at 60, Station Street, Kitty, and the Master’s Touch Carpet Cleaners at 2nd Street, Bel Air Village. They also searched his private residence in D’Aguiar’s Park on the southern fringes of Georgetown and deployed a team to Kaow Island in the Essequibo River, where he also owns a sawmilling operation.

The operation at the home of Khan’s `child mother’ took place yesterday morning. An official speaking for Khan said that in the raid at the Reef Club, soldiers carried off a large quantity of expensive liquor and he accused them of planting arms and ammunition during the dawn raid on the carpet business in Bel Air.

He claimed the soldiers took away computer hardware and software used to carry out the day to day operations of Dreamworks.

He said too the search parties had not provided a search warrant for any of the premises and had broken into the establishments since no one was at work at the outlets.

The Joint Services said the operations carried out over the past four days would continue in an effort to recover the 33 high-powered AK-47 rifles and five pistols stolen from the GDF Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown.

The joint release said Police on Friday established a number of checkpoints along the lower East Coast Demerara and Georgetown and conducted roadblocks and cordon and search operations aimed at apprehending criminals and seizing illegal firearms and ammunition.

A number of persons were questioned and based on the credible information received a joint Police/Army task force executed roadblocks and cordon and searches early Sunday morning through yesterday, the Joint Forces said.

The management of the nightclub said the joint forces never stated the reasons for their search and its owners were never allowed access to their premises to observe the search as it was being carried out. Also, the company said the massive unnecessary destruction of the property and its fixtures was “truly mind boggling.”

The Blue Iguana management said the damage and losses are still being checked and verified with a view to legal action to ensure some form of compensation. Their initial estimate put the damage at millions of dollars.

The Blue Iguana management said chairs, pools tables, the floor and other areas of the premises were broken. They said too lighted fixtures were damaged, licenced metal detectors were taken and “incredulously, liquor stock, including some very expensive imported liquor is missing.”

The club said it is mindful of recent events in the country that may lead to the Police and Army employing less than conventional and acceptable methods of search and seizure, but lamented that these must still give due consideration to the constitutional rights of citizens.

“We have always cooperated with law enforcement agencies in this country and will continue to do so, but also expect our rights to be respected and not be subjected to this type of humiliation and harassment for reasons yet unclear,” Blue Iguana stated.

As a result of the Sunday early morning operation nine males and two females were arrested and a number of items seized, the Joint Services said.

In North East La Penitence, four persons were arrested and the following items seized: a quantity of live and blank ammunition, four AK 47 magazines, and two cleaning kits. The release added that during the search at Pike Street two persons were arrested and the following items found: two revolvers, one pistol, and a quantity of ammunition.

Handguns and ammunition seized during joint Police/Army operations to recover stolen weaponry from the Guyana Defence Force. (Photo, courtesy Guyana Police Force)

Early yesterday morning, roadblocks were put up at Beterverwagting and Sparendam, East Coast Demerara and these transitioned into cordon and search operations, the Joint Services said.

The Joint Services said they will conduct several follow-up operations and reiterated the determination to recover the weapons. “All information will continue to be treated with the strictest of confidence and no individual or area is off limits,” the Joint Services stressed. (Guyana Cronicle)

A 12-YEAR-OLD, naked after bathing, was yesterday afternoon shot dead by a gang in an apparent execution plan gone wrong, neighbours at his Back Street, McDoom, East Bank Demerara residence said.

Kevin Brown, called Shawn, was killed when five gunmen emerged from cane fields not far from the house where he lived with his mother, Shondell Brown, 29, George Prince, 31, and two other children.

Police said the men threw a tear smoke grenade into the house, barged in and fired several rounds. The lad was shot several times in his body in the attack which took place at about 12:45 h. Neighbours said he died on the spot.

His mother, Shondell, also called Tasha, was shot several times in her back and left side and was last night in critical condition in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Police said Prince and the two other children in the house at the time were not wounded.

Neighbours said Prince appeared to have been the intended target of the gunmen, but the boy got in the way of the gunfire.

They said Kevin had just finished bathing after cutting bushes around the yard, when the men appeared from the cane fields nearby, lobbed the teargas canister into the small wooden house and opened fire. Kevin, who was in the house drying his skin after bathing, was gunned down naked, neighbours said.

His mother, who was cutting up vegetables to cook for lunch, was wounded in the attack and was rushed to the hospital. She sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was undergoing surgery at the GPHC last evening, officials said. There was loud wailing from relatives and neighbours as the boy’s body was removed from the house about two hours later and some fainted in grief.

A number of live and spent shotgun cartridges, several spent shells of various calibre and the tear smoke canister were found at the scene, Police said.

Deputy Police Commissioner and Crime Chief Henry Greene was among Policemen on the scene after the shooting. Yesterday’s deadly attack followed the discovery last Sunday of the bullet-ridden body of another McDoom youth, Devon Cambridge, 19, at D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown. He was executed, his hands bound behind his back.

And yesterday’s killing came three weeks after the February 26 massacre of eight persons at nearby Agricola and Eccles. That attack began with gunmen killing three security guards at the Two Brothers Gas Station at Eccles that Sunday night and storming into Agricola where they also shot dead four others, including two elderly pensioners. (Guyana Cronicle)

CONCEALED: One of the cardboard boxes ripped to reveal suspected cocaine in this pepper sauce package. (Cullen Bess-Nelson photos)

A CANU official told the Guyana Chronicle the items were already loaded to an aircraft of the Amerijet cargo service when the agency requested to inspect the contents after CANU officers on duty at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport received a tip-off at around 08:30 h.

When the boxes were offloaded, the cocaine was found concealed in plastic bags fitted between the walls of the separators inside the boxes, the official said.

The boxes were taken into CANU custody as the investigations continue. No one has been arrested.

The shipper’s name was given with an address at Met-en-Meerzorg, West Coast Demerara and the intended address for the consignment as 9th Avenue, North Miami, Florida. (Guyana Cronicle)

Four held in stolen AK-47s probe

JIHAD woman seen in city

FOUR men were held yesterday as investigators followed leads in the shocking theft of 33 high-powered AK-47 rifles and five pistols from a storage bond in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown, an Army spokesman said. Sources said too that a woman leader in the small extremist group Police Monday night said they want to question in the probe was recently seen at a public event in the city.

Army Spokesman Lt Col Claude Fraser yesterday told the Guyana Chronicle that the agent of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who is working with local investigators on the case, was due to leave last night after flying back here with information that could help the probe. He said that following leads phoned in on the hotlines the Army set up, Police and the GDF yesterday raided a house on Laing Avenue in Georgetown and detained four men.

Two of the four have Army connections, with one being an ex-soldier and another listed as absent without leave, he said. Fraser said the men are assisting with investigations into the disappearance of the weapons. As the probe intensified, sources said Marayam Perreira, who the Police want to question, was among persons attending a 40-day memorial ceremony for murdered controversial TV `talk show host’ Ronald Waddell, held Saturday at the 1763 Monument Square in Georgetown.

The Police Force Monday night said it was looking for Perreira and her husband Gerald Perreira, top officials of the small militant group JIHAD (Joint Initiative for Humanity and Development). The Police said they are interested in locating and interviewing the two. Sources said the woman is a foreigner who has been very visible among some groups in the country, and Gerald Perreira is a Guyanese. “They may wish to make contact with Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters” in Georgetown, Police advised in a press release.

The Police also said “anyone knowing the whereabouts of these individuals is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 226-1389, 226-7065, 225-6411, 225-6941, 226-6978, 225-8196.”

Police said anyone with information can also contact the GDF hotlines 226-0119, 227-7962, 226-8645, 227-7989 or 225-8863.

The Army set up its hotlines shortly after it announced that the rifles and the pistols had been stolen from the storage bond and these are being manned around the clock by officers. Army sources last week told the Guyana Chronicle their investigators want to question a central figure in a fringe group with strong links in the troubled Buxton, East Coast Demerara village, which had previously expressed extreme public views on the political situation here. That central figure named by the sources was Gerald Perreira.

The Army’s Criminal Investigation Department also wants to interview former GDF officer Oliver Hinckson and James Gibson, who failed to complete an Army Cadet Officer course. The FBI agent supporting the probe was here last week and took samples from items Army investigators found left behind in the weapons bond. Sources said a pair of gloves and pants were found in the bond and human faeces were also discovered there.

Six soldiers confined since the guns were found missing after a check of the armoury are still being interrogated. News that the AK-47 M rifles and five pistols were stolen from the GDF base raised fears that the automatic weapons may have been sold to criminal gangs, including those holed out in the back lands in Buxton, known to use AK-47s in attacks.

An Army spokesman has said the investigation has pointed to the “very strong possibility that ranks from the GDF may be involved in the disappearance of these weapons.” (Guyana Cronicle)

Police want JIHAD couple

Police last night announced that they are looking for top officials of the small militant group JIHAD (Joint Initiative for Humanity and Development) in Guyana. The announcement came as the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) pursued leads into the shocking theft of 33 high-powered AK-47 rifles and five pistols from the armoury at its Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown.

The Police said they are interested in locating and interviewing Gerald Perreira and a Ms Marayam Perreira who are associated with JIHAD. “They may wish to make contact with Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters” in Georgetown, Police advised in a press release.

The Police also said “anyone knowing the whereabouts of these individuals is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 226-1389, 226-7065, 225-6411, 225-6941, 226-6978, 225-8196.” Police said anyone with information can also contact the GDF hotlines 226-0119, 227-7962, 226-8645, 227-7989 or 225-8863.

The Army set up its hotlines shortly after it announced that the rifles and the pistols had been stolen from a storage bond and these are being manned around the clock by officers. Army sources last week told the Guyana Chronicle their investigators want to question a central figure in a fringe group with strong links in the troubled Buxton, East Coast Demerara village, which had previously expressed extreme public views on the political situation here.

An agent from the top American agency is due back here this week to bolster the investigation, Army spokesman Col Claude Fraser told the Guyana Chronicle. He said the six soldiers confined since the guns were found missing after a check of the armoury at the GDF Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown, were still being interrogated.

A pants and a pair of gloves left behind by those who removed the guns from the storage bond at Camp Ayangana have been retrieved and these are to be subject to forensic, DNA and other tests, a source had indicated to the Guyana Chronicle.

GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins has sought bilateral cooperation with other countries by meeting the military attachés of Canada and Brazil, the Army reported. Also at the meeting with other GDF top brass last week were representatives from Suriname and Venezuela, the GDF said.

News that the AK-47 M rifles and five pistols were stolen from the GDF base raised fears that the automatic weapons may have been sold to criminal gangs, including those holed out in the back lands in Buxton, known to use AK-47s in attacks. An Army spokesman has said the investigation has pointed to the “very strong possibility that ranks from the GDF may be involved in the disappearance of these weapons.” (Guyana Cronicle)

Execution victim identified

CONTRARY to speculation in another newspaper yesterday that the bullet-riddled body found in a clump of bushes in the city Sunday morning was that of a man the Army was looking for, a father identified it as that of his teenaged son.

The body discovered at Durban Backlands was identified yesterday as that of 19-year-old Devon Cambridge of McDoom Village, Greater Georgetown. The father, Curshon Cambridge, told the Guyana Chronicle his son left home Saturday morning and did not return home.

But he said he and the mother and siblings did not become worried when Devon did not return Saturday night because he would sometimes sleep over at a relative in the nearby village of Agricola. However, on Sunday they began to feel a bit uneasy after he did not show up, he added.

The elder Cambridge said when they read in the newspapers yesterday about the unidentified body and the description, the family checked at the Newburg Funeral Parlour in Georgetown where they positively identified the body as that of Devon. Cambridge said when Devon left home he did not indicate where he was going, but his siblings related that it was usual for him to go out and return in the night.

The father said he is based in the UK and returns to Guyana periodically. He said that on this visit, he observed that Devon was idling and enrolled him in a private school at Agricola. The young man, he said, was attending the school for about two weeks before his death. “He was a bright boy, and so I decided to get him back to school”, the father related. He said Devon met a cruel death as six bullet wounds were observed on the body.

An autopsy would have been performed tomorrow, but because it is a national holiday, it is likely that it would now be performed Friday, the father said. Asked whether Devon had any problems with anyone in the community, family members replied in the negative, adding that he got along well with everyone. The Police yesterday said they so far do not have any clues on the motive for the killing or any suspects but their investigations are continuing. Devon was shot execution-style and his hands were bound behind his back.

Another newspaper speculated that the body may have been that of a man the Guyana Defence Force was looking for in connection with the theft of 33 AK-47 rifles and five pistols from its armoury at the Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown. (Guyana Cronicle)

A man who pleaded guilty to stealing 15 CDs belonging to a woman was sentenced on Thursday to six months in prison by Magistrate Chandra Sohan. Leon Wade, 18, of Kwakwani changed his plea on February 22 to guilty to the simple larceny charge at the Albion Magistrate's Court.

It was alleged that during December 2005 at Vryheid Village, West Canje Berbice, he stole the 15 compact discs, valued $7,500, property of Nicola Fernandes. The matter was reported to the police and he was arrested and charged. (Stabroek News)

THE BIG BATTLE AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS

Government sets out efforts to combat narco-trade

In what the Guyana Information Agency (GINA) issued at the weekend as "The Fact" to criticisms levelled at the government, President Bharrat Jagdeo’s administration has outlined its various efforts to combat narco-trafficking.

The government said that contrary to allegations of its opponents, the various initiatives to deal with the drugs trade have drawn favourable attention from the 2006 Narcotics Report released by the USA on March 1. The statement released by GINA said:

"Commenting on the issue of anti-narcotics strategies, the Report cited some of the initiatives government embarked on:

“The Government of Guyana established a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in the Ministry of Finance in 2003. The FIU is currently staffed by a director and a police investigator. Building on assistance from U.S. funding through July 2005, the Government of Guyana (GOG) currently funds salaries and operating expenses.”

“As of December 2005, the FIU has conducted preliminary investigations on approximately 36 cases. In addition to the FIU, government bodies responsible for investigating financial crimes include the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, the Attorney General, and the Director of Public Prosecutions.”

Policy initiatives

“Guyana launched its ambitious 2005-2009 NDSMP in June. The NDSMP’s programmes are divided into Supply Reduction and Demand Reduction. The Supply Reduction agenda calls for improving the justice system’s ability to handle drug cases, making the Joint Intelligence Coordination Centre operational with closer cooperation and better technology for law enforcement agencies, and tighter control of border posts and airstrips.”

“The Demand Reduction agenda includes developing rehabilitation capabilities as well as media and education programmes. The government estimates that implementing the 2005-2009 NDSMP will cost approximately US$3.3 million.”

In recognition of the efforts made by local law enforcement agents, Guyana has received some material and technical support from the international community including the United States.

“The DEA works closely with Guyana’s government and law enforcement agencies to develop initiatives that will significantly enhance their counter-narcotics activities. High-ranking representatives from the Police Force and the GDF attended the International Drug Enforcement Conference in 2005,” according to the report.

The report observed that “the new Minister of Home Affairs has shown greater commitment to fighting drug trafficking and corruption. The Police Commissioner is making strong efforts to reduce corruption within the GPF.”

“Authorities have arrested drug ‘mules’ attempting to smuggle cocaine on virtually every northbound route out of the international airport.”

As recent as March 7, two persons were intercepted while attempting to exit the Cheddi Jagan International Airport with quantities of the substance.

Police regularly discover and eradicate cannabis cultivation sites when conducting area sweeps. The NDSMP reported that authorities destroyed a total of 68.5 hectares and over 63,000 kilograms of cannabis plants during the 1999-2003 period. It is clear from the foregoing that the efforts to combat crime are being seen not only internally, but by the regional and international community.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Patrick Manning, while visiting Guyana in January 2006, noted that CARICOM States, in addition to being materially poor, are also uniquely placed between the drug producing countries of the South such as Colombia and the drug consuming countries of the North, including North America and Europe.

Hence not all the drugs that enter the country nor the guns which are used to protect them leave. Therefore, CARICOM States face a unique challenge in tackling drug and gun crimes. Nevertheless, even with limited resources, Guyana has been working with international partners to control the activity. As it relates to money laundering, the Report noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bank of Guyana continue to assist U.S. efforts to combat the activity.

The PNCR has alleged that Government was in collusion with known drug traffickers. The State Department Report also cleared government of any form of affiliation with these persons. The PNC/R maliciously attempted to link members of the administration to persons said to be involved in narco-trafficking, and other illegal activity. To lend credibility to this libelous claim, the Opposition attempts to use the US State Department Report, as the basis.

However, nowhere is it stated, or implied, in the report, that the PPP/C government is linked to narco-trafficking. On the contrary, the report unequivocally states “The Government of Guyana does not facilitate the production, processing, or shipment of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, and does not discourage the investigation or prosecution of such acts.”

The Report went on to state that "the Government of Guyana takes legal and law enforcement measures to prevent and punish public corruption:".

Additionally, Miister of Home Affairs, Gail Teixeira, and Commissioner of Police, Winston Felix, were lauded for their efforts to tackle drug trafficking and fight corruption.

“The new Minister of Home Affairs has shown greater commitment to fighting drug trafficking and corruption. The Police Commissioner is making strong efforts to reduce corruption within the GPF”, the report stated. Therefore, according to the government's statement, the PNC/R’s attempts to discredit the administration, over its efforts to tackle crime, corruption and narco-trafficking, "must be seen as nothing more than a plot to create discord and misguide the Guyanese people...". (Guyana Cronicle)

Stolen AK-47s:

GDF seeks second man

James Gibson

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) last night announced it was seeking a second man in connection with the shocking theft of 33 AK-47 rifles and five pistols from the armoury at its Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown.

A statement from the Army said its Military Criminal Investigation Department “wishes to interview Mr James Gibson.”

Anyone knowing his whereabouts is asked to contact investigators at hotline numbers: 226-0119; 227-7962; 226-8645; 227-7989; 225-8863. GDF officers are manning the hotlines around the clock.

Gibson is the second person the Army has announced it is seeking to question in the probe into the missing high-powered rifles and the pistols. The GDF Monday also announced it wanted to interview former Army officer Oliver Hinckson in connection with the theft of the weapons.

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is helping the GDF in its probe. An agent from the top American agency who Tuesday began collaborating with the GDF team probing the theft, is due back here early next week to bolster the investigation, Army spokesman Lt Col Claude Fraser told the Guyana Chronicle. He said the six soldiers confined since the guns were found missing after a check of the armoury at the GDF Camp Ayanganna headquarters in Georgetown, were still being interrogated.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that investigators also want to question a central figure in a fringe group with strong links in the troubled Buxton, East Coast Demerara village, which had previously expressed extreme public views on the political situation here. The FBI agent Tuesday inspected the bond from which the weapons were stolen and the Guyana Chronicle understands that the agency will be helping with DNA, forensic and other tests of clues left behind in the bond by those who stole the weapons.

A pants and a pair of gloves left behind by those who removed the guns from the storage bond have also been retrieved and these are to be subject to forensic, DNA and other tests, the source said. Swabs from other clues left behind by the thieves are being sent to the U.S. for forensic, DNA and other tests, the source told this newspaper.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Mr Donald Ramotar yesterday said the party was “extremely worried” and “very concerned” about the disappearance of the weapons. “We are extremely worried and very concerned that incidents like this are occurring in our Disciplined Forces,” he told reporters. “Like all law-abiding citizens, we are all concerned about this disappearance of the weapons.”

He said from all indications, the weapons are obviously in the “hands of elements that are not necessarily law-abiding or have good intentions”. “So it is extremely troubling at this point in time and we are ready to give all the support necessary to the investigating team in order to try and recover these weapons as early as possible,” he said.

The guns are believed to have been spirited out of the storage bond through ventilation mesh cut close to the top of the building in the compound of the Camp Ayanganna base. (Guyana Cronicle)

Ex-policeman David Ram Parker, called Winston Parker, who raped a young woman at knifepoint and robbed her of $3,400, will have to serve 15 years in jail.

After perusing a probation report and hearing a plea in mitigation from defence counsel Mr Peter Hugh, trial judge, Mrs Yonette Cummings-Edwards imposed a sentence of 15 years for the offence of rape and seven years for the robbery offence.

But because she ordered that the sentences run concurrently, the prisoner, who had asked for no sympathy, will have to serve only 15 years. The probation officer said the mini-bus driver was a product of a decent family, and he had his early education in Buxton. He had an earlier encounter with the law in relation to a similar offence, but that case fell down because of a legal technicality, the court heard.

Apart from a stint in the Police Force, he was also a member of the Guyana Fire Service. He then turned to driving a mini-bus on the East Bank, and East Coast, Demerara route.

The prosecution’s case, as led by Mr Satyesh Kissoon, was that the girl from Mahaica was a passenger in the bus driven by the accused bus on the night of November 6, 2003, when, instead of taking her to her destination, he drove her along the Hope Coconut Estate road, where he raped and robbed her of money. Kissoon had asked the court to hand down the harshest sentence possible, while defence counsel blamed the probation officer for not presenting a satisfactory report. Hugh had also asked the court to be lenient with the accused.

When asked by the judge whether he had anything to say, Parker maintained that he was innocent of the crime and said the whole affair had brought shame and disgrace to his family and his church – the Church of God. His final remarks to the Judge were, “I am not asking for any mercy. We will appeal this sentence.” Imposing the sentence, the judge told the prisoner, ‘Go and seek to rehabilitate yourself.” (George Barclay/Guyana Cronicle)

After several prosecution -related delays, the Prelimi-nary Inquiry (PI) into the Richard Ishmael school compound killing got underway yesterday with the testimony of a CID rank.

Magistrate Oneidge Waldron-Allicock later issued arrest warrants for two policemen who were warned to be present in court yesterday to give evidence.

Sydney Charles, a CID rank attached to the Albert-town police station, gave testimony. On the last occasion the prosecution had informed the court that at least three witnesses were present.

The court was informed by the prosecution, after Charles had given his evidence, that one of the policemen is on pre-retirement leave and calls were made to his home on two occasions. On those occasions his wife was told that he had to be in court yesterday.

The magistrate later issued warrants for Corporal Moonsammy and Constable Chapman who are both stationed at Alberttown, after it was requested by Bernard De Santos SC, one of the lawyers for the 15-year-old. It is alleged that in November last year the teenager murdered Jacklyn Levius.

According to the facts of the case, Levius had gone to the school to meet with the headmistress in relation to an incident that occurred the previous day between the accused and another student of the school.

The teenager was asked to visit the office but refused to do so and as a result Levius and others decided to go in search of her. Somewhere along the way, after an exchange of words between the two parties, the teenager allegedly grabbed Levius and stabbed her. The injured woman died a few hours later at the public hospital. (Stabroek News)

Briefing: GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins, second from left, and other GDF officers meet military attaches and others from several embassies based here. (Photo, courtesy GDF)

And as the GDF top brass briefed military attaches of key foreign embassies based here and the FBI began helping the probe, Army investigators extended their search for key suspects, sources said.

They want to question a central figure in a fringe group with strong links in the troubled Buxton, East Coast Demerara village, which had previously expressed extreme public views on the political situation here, the sources said.

The Army’s Criminal Investigation Department Monday announced that it also wanted to interview former senior GDF officer Oliver Hinckson. A GDF bulletin urged “Anyone knowing the whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact investigators at hotline numbers: 226-0119; 227-7962; 226-8645; 227-7989; 225-8863.”

Army spokesman Lt Col Wilbert Lee yesterday said investigators were still looking for Hinckson. The Army confirmed a Guyana Chronicle report yesterday that the FBI was helping its probe and said the GDF is to receive assistance from the top U.S. agency.

An FBI agent yesterday visited the Army’s Camp Ayanganna headquarters and inspected the bond from which the weapons were stolen, the GDF said in a press release. The agent also had discussions with the Army’s investigating team, it said.

Swabs from other clues left behind by the thieves are being sent to the U.S. for forensic, DNA and other tests, the source told this newspaper. As the investigations continued, GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins continued seeking bilateral cooperation with other countries by meeting the military attachés of Canada and Brazil, the Army reported.

Also at the meeting with other GDF top brass were representatives from Suriname and Venezuela, the GDF said. They were briefed on the current situation and the representatives promised assistance and collaboration for the speedy recovery of the weapons, the Army said.

Six soldiers, including a Warrant Officer, who were the principal staff detailed to secure the armoury, are being questioned about the stolen weapons and have been confined to Camp Ayanganna. The Army set up the phone hotlines over the weekend and said these are being manned by officers around the clock.

Lee said that based on information received on the hotlines, the Army Monday did sweep searches in the back lands from Buxton to the also troubled Agricola village on the East Bank Demerara. Army patrols, accompanied by Police, also searched four properties in Georgetown. No one was detained in the searches, Lee told the Guyana Chronicle.

He, however, said the GDF wanted to stress that no place is “off limits” to the Army in its searches as the “ultimate goal of the exercise is to recover the weapons”. Lee aid the GDF was happy with the responses from the public so far to the hotlines. The Army is also offering a $3M reward for information leading to the recovery of the guns. The guns were stolen recently but the Army is still to determine the exact period.

The confirmation of the theft of 33 of the Army’s largest weapon type prompted a statement of serious concern from President Bharrat Jagdeo who met Collins and Police Commissioner Winston Felix on that and the massacre by gunmen in two East Bank Demerara villages two Sunday nights ago. On Wednesday, Collins visited and addressed troops at all the Army’s main bases to underline the serious national security implications of the theft of the high-powered guns. Confirmation of the theft also triggered a weapons inventory check by the Police Force, Police Commissioner Felix indicated Wednesday.

News that the AK-47 M rifles and five pistols were stolen from the GDF base raised fears that the automatic weapons may have been sold to criminal gangs, including those holed out in the back lands in Buxton, known to use AK-47s in attacks. Lee last week said the investigation has pointed to the “very strong possibility that ranks from the GDF may be involved in the disappearance of these weapons.” “Any bit of information and lead would be pursued relentlessly and vigorously in order to retrieve the weapons and have them returned to the storage bond,” Collins told the troops Wednesday.

President Jagdeo Friday night vowed that “whatever it takes”, the Army will go out and recover the weapons. “The Army will go out and recover those weapons, whatever it takes. They will have to recover those weapons and I hope when they go into some areas that we are not going to hear the talk about excessive force and freedom and all of these things,” the President declared.

The guns are believed to have been spirited out of the storage bond through ventilation mesh cut close to the top of the building.

“We are going to recover those weapons because those weapons are only going to be used against our people – the people of this country (because) they are not there to be used on the pulpit,” the President told a large gathering of Christian religious leaders during an interactive encounter he hosted on the lawns of his State House residence in Georgetown. (Guyana Cronicle)

A GDF bulletin urged “Anyone knowing the whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact investigators at hotline numbers: 226-0119; 227-7962; 226-8645; 227-7989; 225-8863.”

The Army set up the hotlines over the weekend and said these are being manned by officers around the clock.

And in another development, GDF spokesman, Lt Col Wilbert Lee said that based on information received on the hotlines, the Army yesterday did sweep searches in the back lands from the troubled Buxton village on the East Coast Demerara to the also troubled Agricola village on the East Bank Demerara.

Army patrols, accompanied by Police, also searched four properties in Georgetown. No one was detained in the searches, Lee told the Guyana Chronicle. He, however, said the GDF wanted to stress that no place is “off limits” to the Army in its searches as the “ultimate goal of the exercise is to recover the weapons”.

Lee aid the GDF was happy with the responses from the public so far to the hotlines. The Army is also offering a $3M reward for information leading to the recovery of the guns. As the searches for the stolen guns intensified, the Guyana Chronicle understands more clues have been found in the probe.

A pants and a pair of gloves left behind by those who removed the guns from the storage bond have also been retrieved and these are to be subject to forensic, DNA and other tests, a source said. Swabs from other clues left behind by the thieves are being sent to the U.S. for forensic, DNA and other tests, the source told this newspaper.

It is understood that the Federal Bureau of Investigation officer for Guyana and the Caribbean was here yesterday and the top U.S. agency will be assisting in the weapons theft probe. Ms Christine Myer, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, told the Guyana Chronicle the embassy’s Military Liaison Officer had a routine meeting yesterday with the GDF, including Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins.

The embassy, she said, has received an official request for assistance and “we will work with the Government of Guyana to provide assistance in this matter.” Collins on Saturday told the Guyana Chronicle the Army was seeking help from the United States Army to recover the guns. He said the clues the GDF has found left behind by those who spirited out the guns have been put under wraps for forensic, DNA and other tests by overseas experts and he expects the U.S. military would also respond to the call for help by dispatching personnel here.

“Yes - we are making requests for bilateral help and whatever form this is given in we will accept because we have to recover these weapons and get those responsible”, he said. Six soldiers, including a Warrant Officer, who were the principal staff detailed to secure the armoury, are being questioned about the stolen weapons and have been confined to the Camp Ayanganna base in Georgetown. The guns were stolen recently but the Army is still to determine the exact period.

Confirmation of the theft also triggered a weapons inventory check by the Police Force, Police Commissioner Felix indicated Wednesday. News that the AK-47 M rifles and five pistols were stolen from the GDF base raised fears that the automatic weapons may have been sold to criminal gangs, including those holed out in the back lands in Buxton, known to use AK-47s in attacks.

Lee last week said the investigation has pointed to the “very strong possibility that ranks from the GDF may be involved in the disappearance of these weapons.” “Any bit of information and lead would be pursued relentlessly and vigorously in order to retrieve the weapons and have them returned to the storage bond,” Collins told the troops Wednesday.

The guns are believed to have been spirited out of the storage bond through ventilation mesh cut close to the top of the building. (Guyana Cronicle)

Police find ammo pouches in Buxton raid

POLICE last night reported that based on a report that a man was shot in Buxton village, East Coast Demerara, they yesterday searched 47 houses in the back lands and housing areas of the troubled village. Thirty seven of the houses were unoccupied, no arrest was made, but several items were found in two of the unoccupied houses, Police reported.

These included elections scrutineer identification cards, documents for the `Guyana Nationalist Party’, camouflage clothing, ammunition pouches, military boots, clothing and electronic equipment.

The list of articles found is:

23 elections scrutineers ID cards
One firearm assembly book
10 Guyana Nationalist Party pamphlets
Two Guyana Nationalist Party newsletters
11 Candidates declaration forms for the Guyana Nationalist Party
11 lists of candidates forms
One duffle bag
One green army type blanket
Two camouflage jackets
Three camouflage pants
One camouflage cap
One pair black jeans
One pair camouflage boots
One web belt with two ammo pouches
Two bed sheets
One Guyana flag
One green long sleeve jersey
One 14" black and white television set
One Lanasonic radio/tape recorder
One Holy Quran
Two NBS bank books
G$4,060
One cutlass
One green haversack
One pair black military boots
One bicycle sawn into several pieces

One handbook on the rules and regulations and conditions of service of the United Associates Security and Domestic Services Inc of Guyana (Guyana Cronicle)

According to his wife, Lakerania Ramanand, Sukhai left home on Sunday night with a friend, Zaphir Mohamed, for a hang out bar in Barr Street, Kitty. She said that at about 01:30–02:00 h yesterday, two of his friends showed up at her home with a message that her husband had been shot and was at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

She said that when she arrived at the hospital, he was already dead. Ramanand told the Guyana Chronicle that Mohamed said that after they left home Sunday night, they went to the ‘Night Bird’ bar in Barr Street for a drink. They later went to buy food on Sheriff Street and Sukhai had taken his friend home in his vehicle, PCC 8604, on Shell Road where they were talking, she said.

It is understood that the two were suddenly attacked by two armed men who rode up on a motorcycle and who apparently had been following them when they drove off from the Sheriff Street restaurant. Ramanand said she assumed her husband was robbed of his gold and silver band which he had left home with, since these were not on his hands when she saw him at the hospital.

As the bandits attacked and robbed Mohamed, Sukhai retaliated and fought with them. Mohamed ran from the attackers who shot Sukhai before escaping, relatives said. The wounded businessman, a mobile contractor, was rushed to the hospital by public-spirited citizens and Police said he died before he received medical attention. Ramanand said when Mohamed arrived at her home, he told her what happened and that he had heard one gunshot.

Police said that when the bandits pounced, they ordered the two friends not to move and proceeded to rob Mohamed of jewellery, a quantity of foreign currency and G$5,000, and shot Sukhai in his upper left arm. (Guyana Cronicle)

Mine camp manager shot dead

POLICE have detained employees of a mining camp in the Mazaruni after the camp’s General Manager was shot dead in his sleep Sunday night.

Martie Emberton, 40, was asleep in his hammock in the camp at Rock Creek, Puruni on the Mazaruni River, when he was shot in the chest and abdomen, sources said. He died on the spot. The sources said 23 ounces of raw gold were stolen from the camp.

Police who travelled to the camp have detained workers there and they were last night being questioned at the Bartica Police Station. The camp is owned by Jabel Ali.

When the Guyana Chronicle contacted Emberton’s family in Georgetown yesterday, two of his children were too distraught to speak and the rest of the family were trying to ascertain what exactly had happened. (Guyana Cronicle)

GDF asks U.S. for help

In stolen AK-47s probe

Clues found

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has asked the United States Army for help to recover 33 high-powered AK-47 rifles and five pistols stolen from the weapons storage bond at Camp Ayanganna, GDF Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins told the Sunday Chronicle.

He yesterday said clues have been found in the bond that can help track down those who removed the weapons and these have been preserved for DNA and other tests by experts from the U.S. Army.

As the GDF continued the probe into the shocking theft of the guns from its armoury, this newspaper asked Collins whether the Army was seeking help from the U.S. and other friendly military forces -- given the serious national security implications of the theft and the very close relations the GDF has with the U.S., British and other armies. “We have asked the U.S. Army for help in the probe and to recover the weapons”, he said, adding that the scope of the response is expected to be “carte blanche”.

Collins said the clues the GDF has found left behind by those who spirited out the guns have been put under wraps for forensic, DNA and other tests by overseas experts and he expects the U.S. military would also respond to the call for help by dispatching personnel here. “Yes - we are making requests for bilateral help and whatever form this is given in we will accept because we have to recover these weapons and get those responsible”, he said.

Six soldiers, including a Warrant Officer, who were the principal staff detailed to secure the armoury, are being questioned about the stolen weapons and have been confined to the Camp Ayanganna base in Georgetown.

Army spokesman Lt Col Wilbert Lee has said they were following some leads in the investigation and some persons have been questioned and others would be. The guns were stolen recently but the Army is still to determine the exact period. The confirmation of the theft of 33 of the Army’s largest weapon type prompted a statement of serious concern from President Bharrat Jagdeo who met Collins and Police Commissioner Winston Felix on that and the massacre by gunmen in two East Bank Demerara villages last Sunday night.

On Wednesday, Collins visited and addressed troops at all the Army’s main bases to underline the serious national security implications of the theft of the high-powered guns. Confirmation of the theft also triggered a weapons inventory check by the Police Force, Police Commissioner Felix indicated Wednesday.

News that the AK-47 M rifles and five pistols were stolen from the GDF base raised fears that the automatic weapons may have been sold to criminal gangs, including those holed out in the back lands in Buxton on the East Coast Demerara, known to use AK-47s in attacks. “While the internal investigation is continuing, efforts are being directed simultaneously to possible linkages with persons in the wider society who may be the recipients of the stolen weapons”, Lee told this newspaper.

“All leads will be pursued with the audacity and force befitting the military”, he vowed, adding, “We are confident that we will recover the weapons wherever they are.” He said the investigation has pointed to the “very strong possibility that ranks from the GDF may be involved in the disappearance of these weapons.”

The Police and the Army are cooperating in the investigation leading to the recovery of the weapons. “Any bit of information and lead would be pursued relentlessly and vigorously in order to retrieve the weapons and have them returned to the storage bond,” Collins told the troops Wednesday.

More evidence of armed gangs emerging

Top officers of Guyana’s law enforcement agencies, specifically the Police and Army, have acknowledged and recognised the crucial need for “many other interventions” aimed at restoring and sustaining public confidence in them, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon reported yesterday.

His comment came in the wake of the chilling Sunday night attacks when a large marauding gang of heavily-armed gunmen went on a killing spree in two adjoining villages on the East Bank Demerara, just south of Georgetown. Sunday night’s massacre left eight persons, including two women, dead, and several others wounded as shocked citizens tried to comprehend the chilling attacks by a band of gunmen.

Luncheon yesterday told reporters the recent events have highlighted the “considerable challenges” that face the law enforcement sector in Guyana. Noting that the presence of armed gangs in Guyana was earlier established, he said more evidence of their size, equipment and organisation is now emerging.

He also reported that the government, in its engagements with “top officials within the law enforcement sector”, has “voiced its concerns about the more recent developments” and “called for greater efforts and more successes in containing the crime scourge”. For their part, Luncheon said the top law enforcement officials have noted the administration’s concerns and those of the citizenry, and continue to urge greater collaboration between the public and the law enforcement agencies in the committed anti-crime fight.

“The top officials recognise that Guyana needed many other interventions to sustain the confidence in its law enforcement agencies,” Luncheon posited. He said, too, that faster work would obviously have to be done to improve on the pace of implementation of the June 2005 anti-crime initiatives made by President Bharrat Jagdeo. As it is, already elements of the Neighbourhood Police Scheme are being implemented, Luncheon said, adding that anti-fuel smuggling interventions are also being made.

He also noted that Cabinet, at its meeting on Tuesday, approved a G$19M annual budget for the recently established Commission on Law and Order. The design of both the Justice Sector Reform Project and the Citizens Security Project is being completed and both are intended to address weakness in justice administration and the law enforcement systems, he told reporters.

Police Commissioner Winston Felix, at a news conference on Monday, assured that the Police Force “will not stand idly by” and allow criminal gangs to (continue) to terrorise citizens. He also said those who think Sunday night’s incident will not have “a strong law enforcement response should think otherwise”. “That incident was brazen, disrespectful of the law and will not be tolerated in this country”, he declared.

The gunmen shot three private security guards dead during an attack on the Two Brothers Gas Station at Eccles, killed a young man driving by on the road, and later massacred four others in Agricola, including two pensioners and a mother who was shot dead before her six-year-old daughter. No one was robbed in the attacks and Police believe the killer gang was intent on sending a message to others. (Mark Ramotar/Guyana Cronicle; photo: webred.)

Stolen GDF AK-47 rifles:

Army Chief visits troops

Police also checking arms storage

`…any bit of information and lead would be pursued relentlessly and vigorously in order to retrieve the weapons and have them returned to the storage bond’ – GDF Chief of Staff Brigadier Edward Collins

Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief of Staff, Brigadier Edward Collins, yesterday visited and addressed troops at all the Army’s main bases to underline the serious national security implications of the shocking theft of high-powered guns from GDF headquarters in Georgetown, a spokesman said. Confirmation of the theft of 33 AK-47 rifles from the GDF Camp Ayanganna headquarters has also triggered a weapons inventory check by the Police Force, Police Commissioner Winston Felix indicated yesterday.

“What has happened over there (Army headquarters) -- I wouldn’t be so dogmatic to say that it has not happened over here. As a matter of fact, it is likely to happen over here,” Mr Felix told reporters at Police headquarters in Georgetown.

“While the internal investigation is continuing, efforts are being directed simultaneously to possible linkages with persons in the wider society who may be the recipients of the stolen weapons”, GDF spokesman Lt Col Wilbert Lee told the Guyana Chronicle Monday. “All leads will be pursued with the audacity and force befitting the military”, he vowed, adding, “We are confident that we will recover the weapons wherever they are.”

Felix yesterday said he was concerned because the stolen weapons could be pointed at him. “It bothers me because the guns are pointed at me…and those young Policemen that I put on the road,” he said. With the Army’s announcement that it is holding six soldiers regarding the missing weapons, Felix said “in a situation like that, it makes much sense for us (the Police) to start looking inwardly.”

He said the Police are working with the Army “to get to the root of the matter and more importantly to recover all the firearms.” Lee told the Guyana Chronicle last evening that no other person had been arrested, nor were any of the weapons recovered.

President Bharrat Jagdeo, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Tuesday expressed his deep concerns about the recent criminal activities and even greater concern about the disappearance of the automatic weapons from the GDF. Lee said Collins yesterday visited and spoke to troops at the main GDF bases to underscore and remind them of the “serious implications to national security which resulted from the loss of the weapons.” He emphasised the “need for all and sundry to be united in the efforts to recover all the weapons wherever they might be”, Lee said.

Collins, he told the Guyana Chronicle, also said that “any bit of information and lead would be pursued relentlessly and vigorously in order to retrieve the weapons and have them returned to the storage bond.” Lee on Monday said the investigation has pointed to the “very strong possibility that ranks from the GDF may be involved in the disappearance of these weapons.”

He said Collins yesterday commended to the troops the sterling example of the GDF Coast Guard set in the high drama chase of three vessels in the Demerara River Sunday. The Army Chief, he said, cited the “clinical manner and determined effort” the Coast Guard members demonstrated in that operation and urged that all in the GDF “emulate the decisive action and initiative” they showed. Lee said Collins felt that such action would “certainly lead to the recovery of the weapons”.

President Jagdeo on Tuesday met Collins and Felix on the disappearance of the weapons from the GDF headquarters and the massacre by gunmen in two East Bank Demerara villages Sunday night.

Secretary to the Defence Board, Dr Roger Luncheon, in a statement after the meeting, said Collins and Felix briefed the President on matters related to the recent criminal activities on the East Bank Demerara and the disappearance of weapons from the GDF inventory. Luncheon said Felix updated Mr Jagdeo on the Police investigation into “these security threats” and Collins assured him that the Army was working with the Police Force to recover the missing weapons.

The Defence Board is expected to meet again today for further deliberations on the reports of the ongoing investigations. Lee on Monday said the guns were spirited out of the storage bond through ventilation mesh cut close to the top of the building. Checks at other GDF bases around the country have found the weapons inventory intact, he said, adding that all the guns st