The men who, were flown to the City via the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopter, were initially detained at the Base Ayanganna, Thomas Lands.

Yesterday, a Police source confirmed that the suspects have been handed over to Police, who will now follow up on the investigations.

“There is an allegation by the Army that a weapon has been lost and we (Police) will focus our investigation based on the suspicion that certain persons were involved in the theft,” the official said.

Those in Police custody are: Salim Bacchus of 138 Line Path D, Corriverton and brother of Azad Bacchus aka `Ak47’ who was killed in a shootout with the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) last year; Mohamed Shahurrudin, also known as `Plantain’ of 168 Albert Street, No.79 Village, Corriverton; Sireli-Dos, a Brazilian and Sockhia Yohen, a national of Suriname.

Shahurrudin, an importer of surplus military equipment, has been reported as having made donations to law enforcement agencies here.

A release issued by the GDF after the arrest, listed the items seized at the home of Bacchus and where the foreigners were arrested, as: a VHF Base Station (medium), a VHF Base Station Radio (large), nine hand-held radios, five cellular phones, a pair night vision goggles, a Silvia navigational map plotter, a blank Surinamese passport, a Guyana passport issued to Neil Chasawa, one Netherlands passport issued to Ricardo Doekhi, a Surinamese immigration stamp, one Surinamese Nickerie stamp, one Dale stamp and eight packs of fire crackers.

A source knowledgeable in the use of such equipment surmised that the joint Army/Police operation might have stumbled on either a drug trafficking, gun-smuggling or trafficking in bodies (back-track) operation, or a combination of all such illegal activities.

The arrest and seizure of the equipment were made as the Army’s ‘Operation Tourniquet’ intensified along the country’s coastland in an effort to identify criminal elements, who have been attempting to buy Army kit and equipment.

The discoveries also came in the wake of the GDF arrest on Friday of three junior ranks of the Coast Guard following a botched attempt to steal two high-powered weapons, an AK-47 and a M70, and a fully loaded magazine.

The weapons were reportedly found under beds of two of the soldiers and the magazine in a cupboard of the other.

In addition, the GDF is attempting to trace the whereabouts of another M70 rifle that another soldier admitted selling to a businessman in Berbice.