Anti-crime exercises in several Divisions in the past two days have resulted in the arrest of eleven persons for various offences including firearm possession and wounding with intent.

According to the TTPS, in the Northern Division, a Securing Our Carnival Activities (SOCA) Operation was conducted in the Tunapuna district between 6 am and 11 am on Tuesday 21st February, 2023 by Task Force officers. One Nissan Almera motor vehicle with five occupants was stopped and searched.

The search resulted in officers finding two AR-15 rifles with two magazines, one Glock 17 pistol with a selector and two magazines, one Mac10 machine gun with a silencer and one magazine, along with 52 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and 49 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

The five suspects, ages 17 to 35, all of Tunapuna, were arrested in connection with the finds.

Errant motorists were also issued fixed penalty notices for road traffic offences such as defective tyres and driving without a Certificate of Insurance.

“Operation SOCA then proceeded to the Arima district between 10 am and 10 pm, yesterday, February 22nd, 2023, during which special attention was paid to several communities.

One man, a 39-year-old of Arima, was held for wounding offences, while another was held for a drug-related offence and a third was arrested for possession of camouflage clothing. Meanwhile, an exercise in Area North of the Northern Division, which ended around 1 am, today, Thursday 23rd February, 2023, resulted in the arrest of one Wallerfield man for possession of cocaine and possession of apparatus.”

Over in the Central Division, officers of the Freeport Police Station conducted an exercise between 1 pm and 4 pm, on Wednesday 22nd February, 2023, during which they proceeded to Roopsingh Road, Carapichaima, where they searched a market vendor.

The search resulted in officers finding one Baretta pistol loaded with a magazine containing 12 rounds of ammunition. The man was arrested in connection with the find.

In the South Western Division, officers of the Santa Flora district, conducted an Operation Safe Streets exercise, between 7 pm and 10 pm, on Wednesday 22nd February, 2023. During the exercise, a 32-year-old man of Penal was held for possession of an offensive weapon. Investigations are ongoing into all the above matters.