Detained are Shawn Bentick, 23, of 69 Sideline, Buxton; Sean Trim, 19, of 39 Middle Walk, Buxton; Ishmael Archer, 16, of 63 Middle Street, Buxton; Aubrey Adams, 16, of 30 Friendship Road; and Jemaine Williams, 17, of 102 Middle Walk, Buxton.

A sixth person who was also nabbed as later release after the contingent determined that he was in no way connected with the other detainees or linked to any criminal activity.

The five in custody were held yesterday as the joint services contingent intensified their cordon-and-search campaign to improve public safety and rid Buxton of the criminal elements that have turned the once-respected East Coast Demerara village into a criminal nest.

An Army source said last night that a large quantity of articles found in six stalls from which the youngsters had been trying to escape had been lodged at Vigilance Police Station.

The articles include 2 camouflage caps, 1 pair of American camouflage pants, 1 American camouflage suit, a large quantity of legume peas, 2 Holy Bibles, 1 Black & Decker chain saw, 1 hoe, 2 rakes, 1 gold scale, 1 commercial (red) scale; 7 white plastic chairs, 1 large Aiwa stereo set, 1 small CD/stereo set, 1 CD box, 1 cycle, and 1 carpenter’s plane.

“When we searched one particular stall on Sunday, we found a number of articles, at least some of which we suspected were stolen,” the army source said last night. “Yet when we returned and searched the same stall (yesterday) we found another set of articles!”

The stalls and 15 homes were searched in yesterday’s cordon-and-search operations, in a three-quarter mile span from Public Road to Pond Dam and east of Brusche Dam to Company Road.

Intelligence information gathered by the joint services indicates that the stalls have become strategic “look-out” posts for criminals both to alert them of the approach of susceptible “preys” and to warn them of the coming of security personnel into Buxton.

The five persons now in custody were attempting to flee their “early-warning” positions in the stalls when, as they scampered away from approaching ranks, they ran into another patrol strategically positioned to present escape by suspected bandits.

The police and army launched their joint operations in Buxton on Sunday after a team searching for kidnapped De Hoop businessman Viticharran Singh was confronted by gun-totting bandits.

A gun battle ensued, resulting in army lance corporal Shemton Dodson and two bandits, including wanted man Mark ‘Big Batty’ Phillips, being killed.

Another bandit, Kurt John, has since been shot dead and several persons, including a woman suspected to be involved in Singh’s abduction, apprehended.

The army said yesterday investigations are continuing into the status of the confiscated articles and into intelligence reports of the involvement of the detainees in criminal activities.