Recovered high-powered guns not linked to recent crimes

– Crime Chief

A taxi driver was yesterday remanded to prison after being read multiple charges, including the attempted murder and armed robbery of a BK International supervisor who was attacked outside the compound of the Ministry of Finance on Main Street last December.

It is alleged that Samuel Adams, while in company of others and armed with a gun, discharged a loaded firearm at John Brian with the intent to commit murder on December 5, 2016, at Urquhart Street.

It was alleged too that on the same date and at the very location Adams and others, who were armed with guns, robbed Brian of $3 million.

The Guyana Police Force, in a press release, had said Brian was walking on Urquhart Street heading in a western direction when two bandits, one of whom was armed with a handgun, exited a white Toyota Premio and approached him. Brian, the police said, became afraid and ran to the Ministry of Finance’s gate, where he threw a haversack, which was reported to contain $3M in cash, into the compound. “The suspects went into the compound, collected the bag and were exiting when the victim tried retrieving same and in the process, the armed suspect discharged his firearm in his direction, hitting him to his right thigh,” the release said.

It was further alleged that, while in company of others and armed with a gun, Adams discharged a loaded firearm Christopher Marks on February 3 at Mandela Avenue, with the intent to commit murder.

It is also alleged that on the same date and at the same location, the defendant, in the company of others and armed with a gun, attempted to rob Ramroop Ramnauth of cash in his possession at the time.

Adams, who was crying as the charges were read, was not required to enter a plea to any of the charges.

Attorney Dexter Todd told the court that Adams, 29, of Lot 9 Dennis Street, Sophia, was in custody for 12 days, during which time he was only told of one of the three charges read against him yesterday. Todd added that his client was beaten, which resulted in him spitting blood. Adams, he said, was also told by an officer, who opened the door of the lock-ups, to run so that they can shoot him. This, the attorney said, is only being done because his client failed to cooperate with the police, who requested information on certain cases.

Adams added that a particular high ranking officer told his client that they will see that his life crumbles after he was unable to help with inquiries about certain cases. Five high-powered rifles, including four AK-47s, which were recently recovered by police at different locations, have not been linked as yet to any recent crime, according to preliminary checks.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed yesterday that firearm experts have recently concluded preliminary checks on the weapons in comparison with spent shells retrieved from crime scenes and it has been discovered that they were not recently used to commission any of recent crime.

Blanhum, however, noted that the police will now be looking to conduct checks on the weapons to determine it they were used during the 2002 to 2009 crime wave.

During this period, he said, several gangs, including the Phantom Squad, the Kurt Thierens gang and the Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins gang had allegedly

The attorney added that his client was arrested in January in relation to a robbery charge and was later released on his own recognisance with the condition that he report to a particular officer. During his continual reporting, Todd stated, Adams was never made aware of other charges against him.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones objected to bail being granted and also noted that there was no report made nor was there anything on file which stated that Adams was beaten. This was immediately refuted by Todd, who presented to the court a copy of medical records given to the defendant when he was escorted by police to the Diamond Hospital to receive treatment.

Bail was nonetheless denied to Adams and the matter was adjourned until March 22. carried out a spate of crimes.

“The police had recovered spent shells during that period and we will be doing comparative checks on the five rifles to determine if they were used back then,” Blanhum said.

Two weeks ago, Police corporal 18404 Shavon Marks and several others, including an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), were placed under close arrest after they allegedly smuggled an AK-47 rifle out of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) compound, at Eve Leary.

This newspaper was reliably informed that acting on information received, the police conducted an operation during which they followed a car that had just left the TSU compound. The car was intercepted at Carmichael Street and during a

A Somalian national, who claimed he used a forged British passport to enter the country in search of asylum, was yesterday fined and ordered deported.

Hali Shaik Mohammed, 25, is alleged to have uttered a United Kingdom passport, in the name of Steven Wrightstone and bearing his photograph, purporting to show same was issued by the British government, to police constable Steven Williams on March 9 at Lethem.

Subsequent to being read the charge by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown, Mohammed pleaded guilty.

When asked why he came to Guyana, Mohammed told the court that he came seeking asylum.

According to the prosecution, on March 9, Mohammed travelled to Lethem, via Brazil. It was while in Lethem that he uttered the passport with a picture bearing his likeness and the name Steven Wrightstone. When the name was entered into the Interpol system, it was revealed that the passport was reported stolen. The defendant was then told of the offence and arrested.

In mitigation, the defendant started that he was sorry and requested that the Hali Shaik Mohammed

Government of Guyana forgive him for what he did.

Mohammed was later fined $100,000 or a default sentence of four months in jail. Upon the completion of the payment of the fine or serving of the default sentence, Mohammed is to be escorted to the nearest port of exit. search, the high-powered rifle was discovered.

The driver was promptly searched and taken into custody. During questioning, he reportedly implicated Marks and the ASP, who allegedly colluded to sell the weapon.

Marks was charged yesterday. Disciplinary charges had been recommended against the ASP.

Meanwhile, restaurateur Christopher Small was arrested last Thursday following the discovery of two high-powered weapons at his Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara residence. He too was charged yesterday.

Acting on information received, the police went to his residence, where he operates a fast food restaurant on the lower flat, and conducted a search that uncovered two AK-47s along with two empty magazines.

One day after this, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department’s Major Crimes Unit found an AK-47 rifle and a Ruger rifle with magazines in an empty lot at Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara. Two persons were taken into custody to assist with the investigation.