Police seized five illegal guns, including a high-powered assault rifle, during an anti-crime exercise in Morvant on Saturday evening.
According to reports, North Eastern Division Task Force (NEDTF) officers, led by Insp Roger Alexander, made the seizure of the sizable cache of weapons around 4 pm as they searched a bushy area off Granado Street.
Investigators said they had received numerous reports of known gang members frequenting the area at nights and when they searched the location they found four pistols and a Russian-made AK-47 assault rifle.
In addition to the guns, the officers recovered 290 rounds of assorted ammunition wrapped in plastic. No one was arrested as the area was deserted at the time of the raid.
Police said the weapons will be taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, this week for ballistic testing to determine if they were used in any recent murders or shootings.
Investigators believe the location was being used by a gang members as a make-shift armoury, as they know that the weapons can’t be linked to them, unlike if they were stored at their homes.
A bullet proof vest bearing the writing “POLICE,” which is similar but not exact to those issued to local police, was also seized. Investigators believe that the vest was smuggled here from South America and was being used together with other imitation police clothing by gang members to commit crimes.
The exercise was co-ordinated by Snr Supt Surrendra Sagramsingh and included Sgt Guelmo and PCs Moonesar and Dass.