AK-47 amongst other items recovered during police raids
This morning the police department conducted a city wide raid long before the crack of dawn. From four o’clock until ten this morning, personnel from Special Branch, Crimes Investigation Branch, Crimes Intelligence Unit, Anti-Drug Unit, Patrol Branch, Traffic, Violent Criminal Apprehension Program and the Belize Defense Force carried out a concerted joint operation in Old Capital’s hotspots . The police targeted criminals from Mayflower Street, George Street and Queen Charlotte, the base for the South Side Gangsters. Police Press Officer Fitzroy Yearwood told News Five about the drugs, guns and ammunition which were removed from the streets.
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
Fitzroy Yearwood
“We embarked on an operation that this morning we conducted certain searches on some premises and homes within Belize City. This operation will continue throughout the Easter Holiday and beyond that but this morning. Because of a search conducted in the Dyke Area, this is an area around the WASA compound on Faber’s Road, we discovered an AK47. This is a high powered rifle. It’s a prohibited firearm; shouldn’t be in the streets and we are trying to establish proof of ownership of this firearm and see if we can actually make an arrest in connection with this operation. The operation also netted a little more than four thousand dollars at a home that was searched on Antelope Street Extension, again in Belize City. This person had no proof of employment to prove to the department or income tax as to how he netted this money. The denomination of the money would suggest that this money had something to do with the sale of illegal drugs.”
Jose Sanchez
“In regards to Kalashnikovs, we’ve seen them on the streets before. Does the police have any idea of how these weapons get into the country?”
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood
“Well we are trying our best to establish that. I know that we have the coast guard that has come on board just in the event that these might have gotten into the country through our waters. We are very vigilant on our patrols. We have a multiagency approach as to how to secure our country’s territorial rights, our borders and we have asked for the assistance of the coast guard in some of these searches. So if you are out during this Easter holiday, you will see an unusual amount of patrols in our rivers, on the sea, our border patrols and we are trying our best for a reduction because we all know, firearms are not manufactured in Belize.”
In addition to the AK47, the police also uprooted two cannabis plants which were growing on Mayflower Street. According to Sergeant Yearwood, the joint Police and B.D.F. operations will continue throughout the Holidays.
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON………………. DON’T LET UP FOR A SECOND……keep the upper hand.
I bet to differ Sgt. Yearwood, firearms are manufactured in Belize…. If they are not then please explain the home made guns that this boys make out of beach cruiser bicycle pipes?
You always hear that idiotic statement “guns are not made in Belize” nonsense this boys make their own silencers and all.
The other idiotic statement that always pisses me off is when the news people say this is a very deadly weapon….That is bullcrap, It might be a big caliber weapon but it certainly is not deadlier than a smaller caliber weapon..MY POINT IS THEY BOTH KILL THE SAME AMOUNT OF DEAD… SAME AS A KNIFE CLUB ECT ECT …
You put a .22 on someone’s head or a .50 BMG there is no difference in the amount of dead that the person will be, it is the same.
Good job guys but the operation should never stop at least not until you guys have confiscated many many guns and other weapons since there is obviously many more out there that have not been confiscated, a note to the villagers look out for these rats since they will be leaving the city for the outskirts looking for refuge until the operation cease so if you see strangers that was not normally around they might just be these hood rats seeking refuge and probably to start their operation in a new place so be vigilant people be very vigilant don’t trust these strangers and even those that you know who are not employed but have been moving aroung a lot. Remember, My Legacy B 4 My People.
Kinda simple question, “how are these weapons coming into the country”? One does not need to be rocket scientist to figure this out, with Belize being in the center of Drug trafficking activities, air-crafts landing in different parts of the country coupled with the discovery of the many illegal airstrips, with the Guatemalan/Mexican border crossings and crooked corrupted politicians/businessmen in addition to the fact that all these weapons are commonly found in neighboring countries, the answer is obviously clear. Nevertheless, despite all of the above the GSU is making some remarkable effort to put a dent into criminal activities. Keep up the good police work Belize Police Force.
Where there is smoke there is fire! There’s many more where this came from so who’s to say that this didn’t come in with a large shipment of other deadly weapons and God knows what else??? O what a day when the hunter becomes the prey!!!
These unanounce raids direct at the gangs should be done more often. Keeping the pressure on the thugs and trouble makers; will help to keep the streets safer. Also, implement the (3) strike law they have in California would definately scare the Thugs/Gangs.
One AK is not enough these guys out there have tech nines,ozzies,45’s,and don’t forget the famous 30 30 just to name some when executing a search police need to look in the ground where these guns are known to be buried by these thugs. Keep applying pressure to the streets of the city and eventually the criminals will slow down their activity. Prepare the police for a somewhat of a reaction by these criminals because of the pressure being applied by the law especially the men and women who patrol the streets without a gun or a bulletproof vest. Once the city is somewhat controlled to a point the other towns will know and their criminal activities will also detoriate. Dismiss.
Operation Jaguar! Every day! 24 hours per day! Put the BDF on the streets. Man the Police stations! Belama included. Raid the houses of the known gangs! Seize the property of criminals. Seize the property of those who allow these gangs to live on their property. AKs and hand grenades! Enough is enough!!!! Patrol the streets 24/7, even when it is boring! That is police work. Hopefully it is quiet and boring all day everyday for our Police! That is a good thing.
Good police work, keep it up. The public will have to support the police and GSU in clamping down on the criminals, even though the cost may be high. An animal usually fights hardest just before it gives up and is defeated.
Is this why Deano moved his George Street boys out to Orange Walk last week???????
JUST ASKING???????????
Is this why Deano moved his George Street boys out to Orange Walk last week???????
JUST ASKING………………………..
Mr Yearwood i believe that every unlicened or licese firearm in the hands of fools should be prohibited.
It is pointless to try get the guns off the street. It also is pointless, to try get rid of the source: there will always be another. This is what needs to happen: the government should facilitate the process of licensing firearms. Waiting a year for a .38 license to be handed to a respectable business man is ridiculous. Give opportunity for every Belizean who has an illegal firearm to get a license. Every gun has a different serial number, and that serial number can be matched with the bullet the gun has fired, effectively tracing back to the owner. Firearm classes should be given to gun owners to train them how to effectively and safely use a gun in public.
Another law that needs to be amended is what happens to a person that takes out a gun in public for self defense. My cousin was held up in his car by a criminal deported from the US. His brother pulled out a gun, which he kept pointed to the ground, identified himself as a special constable, and asked the criminal to step away from the vehicle. My cousins brother was then arrested (for taking out a firearm in public) and taken to the police station, and would have been locked up had he not had friends among the officers.
With laws in the condition they are in now, the crime rate shouldn’t be shocking to us. The people in charge know how to make a big show, like finding an AK47 in the street and making it sound like they invented the light bulb. Truth is, they found not a damn thing. Of importance. There are many more. Taking guns off the street is the easiest way for criminals to get rid of the old and bring in with the new.
I have to agree with Anonymous. It’s almost impossible for law-abiding people to get handgun permits but the criminals don’t care about having any permit. If more of the honest hard-working people had guns, the criminals would have to have somesecond thoughts before jacking people up.
it’s impossible to take guns off the street yes, but at least they are trying to minimize the crime rate by confiscating these ammunition. nothing beats a TRY.