Six Charged as Police Intensify Anti-Gun Operations

A crackdown on illegal weapons is delivering results tonight, with police making multiple arrests across southern and western Belize. From a tense late-night chase in Punta Gorda to a targeted raid in Unitedville, officers say they removed illegal firearms from the streets and detained several suspects in separate operations. In one case, a twenty-three-year-old man was caught after a pursuit ended with the discovery of a loaded nine-millimeter pistol. In another, five individuals now face joint charges after authorities uncovered a firearm and live ammunition during a police operation in Cayo. Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith has more on how these coordinated efforts unfolded.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“Punta Gorda police have formally arrested and charged twenty-three-year-old Rushan Vairez of Punta Gorda Town for the offense of kept firearm without a gun license and kept ammunition without a gun license. The arresting officer reported that he was on anti-crime operation within that municipality at around one twenty-five a.m. when his attention was drawn to two male persons who were on board a motorcycle. Upon that officer seeking to approach the male persons, the motorcycle sped off and a pursuit ensued. During the course of the pursuit, Vairez fell from the cycle and attempted to flee, however, he was apprehended and a search of a backpack that was in his possession resulted in the discovery of a nine mm pistol which contained a magazine with eighteen live rounds of nine mm ammunition. As a consequence of an operation carried out by Special Patrol Unit personnel on second June 2020 at a residence in Unitedville, Cayo District, five persons, namely Calvin Garcia, Sydney Forbes, Kareem Garcia, Bernadine Myers, and Kevin Trapp, were jointly charged for the offense of kept firearm without having license and kept ammunition without having license. These charges follows the discovery of a point twenty-two pistol containing five live rounds of point twenty-two caliber ammunition.”

 

The arrest in the Cayo District comes as police ramp up operations nationwide, targeting illegal firearms and working to curb rising gun violence.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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