7 News Belize

Cops Take High Powered Rifle Off The Street
posted (February 6, 2019)
And in their first post-media-meeting attempt to get some prop police news out, Belize City police are reporting tonight that they've taken 4 guns off the street, one of which was a rifle with a silencer attached.

Now, it has the appearance of a sniper rifle, but the cops aren't jumping to conclusions just yet, since the caliber of weapon is one that civilians are able to get a gun license for. Still, it's a major find, and this evening, the Department's legal advisor called a press conference to discuss each of the 4 guns. Here's what he told us several hours ago:

Sr. Supt. Bart Jones, Legal Advisor, Belize Police Department
"Yesterday about eight p.m., members of the special patrol unit were on patrol on Jones Street where they conducted a search on a lot which led to the discovery of a .223 Ruger brand rifle along with a magazine and three .223 live rounds of ammunition. No one was in the area so that firearm was listed as found property."

Reporter
"Can you give us specifications of the rifle? We understand that it may be a..."

Sr. Supt. Bart Jones
"The rifle is a .22 calibre which can be used for that type, but we don't want to speculate. .22 is common. There are persons who are licensed for that calibre of firearm, but with this rifle a silencer was also found on it."

"The second incident occurred earlier today where members of the anti-gang task force were on patrol on Diego Street in the St. Martin's De Porres area where they observed two persons disposing what appeared to be firearms in an adjacent lot. The persons were stopped and the area where the items were thrown was searched and it led to the discovery of two firearms; one is a nine millimeter Ruger brand and the other is a nine millimeter Daewoo brand pistol. They are both detained pending charges of possession of unlicensed firearm."

Reporter
"Do you all believe that these persons intended to use these weapons to commit a crime or had committed a crime recently - either of the two?"

Sr. Supt. Bart Jones
"We are not sure and we don't want to speculate. However, as is standard practice, whether someone is detained or not in relation to for firearm discovery, what we do is send the firearm to the lab for ballistic testing. And we have had over the past where firearms would have been discovered and these firearms would link to shell casings found at different crime scenes. So as I said these firearms will be taken to the lab for testing."

"The other incident about ten twenty this morning, the other officers discovered a point twenty eight revolver in an empty lot on Linda Vista street. This goes to show that our efforts, not only in Belize City but across the country, targeting firearms, ammunition and incidents of drug trafficking - you will see that the focus is not just in Belize City but across the country where our efforts is targeting firearms particularly as we try to stem the murders across the country."

Reporter
"You all said you find it, but isn't it a possibility that you all negotiated with persons for the handing over of these weapons in the form of they go and placed it on a certain location and then inform the police where that location is."

Sr. Supt. Bart Jones
"Certainly you cannot speak to the cynicism, but that will always be there. The department is one of those organizations that is up in your face 24 hours a day and so by virtue of that we take a lot of criticisms, but certainly in relation to these seizures none of those things occurred. Certainly that is a possibility, but not in these particular case."

It is expected that the two detained men will be charged and arraigned at the earliest convenience, and when they are, we'll release their identities.

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