This is according to the testimony of two police witnesses who testified on Wednesday when the trial of the three men continued before Principal Magistrate Jerrick Stephney at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

The three, who were allegedly found in possession of a large arms cache, were intercepted on December 4 at Good Hope by a Guyana Defence Force patrol. They stand jointly charged for the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

It is alleged that they were found in possession of two M-15 rifles with a quantity of matching live rounds of ammunition, and two 9mm pistols with a quantity of matching live rounds. Belfield is separately charged with two summary offences, being in unlawful possession of a .40 Glock pistol and 10 matching rounds of ammunition.

When the hearing continued on Wednesday, after four previous deferrals, Superintendent of Police Carl Roberts, who is attached to the Guyana Police Force Operations Department at Eve Leary, detailed his involvement in the investigation, which he said begun at 2 a.m. on the morning of the 4th.

Roberts, led in evidence by Inspector Edmond Cooper, said he was summoned to Police Headquarters, from where he was dispatched to Camp Ayanganna Security Headquarters, where he spoke with then GDF captain, Fitzroy Warde. He said Captain Warde had handed over eight firearms and an assortment of ammunition and firearm accessories.

As he was about to detail the items, defence attorney Glen Hanoman objected, arguing that while 28 different items were collected, the three men were only charged for five items and to mention the others would be irrelevant to the case and otherwise superfluous and prejudicial. The magistrate agreed and Roberts was instructed to confine his testimony to the five weapons and ammunition for which the men were charged.

Roberts said after collecting the items, which were marked by Captain Warde, he marked the weapons and ammunition with his initials, wrapped them and also marked the wrapping paper with his initials.

The items were also numbered and sealed with Police Seal #13. He said on December 5, the items were lodged by him with the police ballistics expert.

At this point the seals were broken and the wrappings removed from the weapons, which were inspected by Roberts, who identified his initials. The weapons, ammunition and empty magazines were then tendered as exhibits, with no objection by Hanoman who afterwards began his cross-examination:

“If Mr. Warde says to the court that all the exhibits you just identified were handed over to someone before 2 am, that someone could not be you?”

“No, it could not be me.”

“[From the time] you collected the weapons at Camp Ayanganna, [did] you [have] the exhibits in your custody and control until you handed it to the ballistics expert the next day?”

“Yes, all the time.”

[Were the weapons] ever lodged at the Brickdam Police Station?”

“No.”

“You are 100% sure?”

“I am 100% sure.”

“Do you agree with me that it would be a complete irregularity that you could not explain if the guns were at the Brickdam Police Station, prior to being lodged at Ballistics at Eve Leary?”

“It will be, yes.”

[“Do you know] there is evidence in court that they were at the Brickdam Police Station. For a long time too?”

Following Hanoman’s examination the prosecutor declined to re-examine the witness.

Police ballistics expert, Detective Sergeant Thomas Noble, then delivered his testimony, during which he identified the arsenal he received as being two M-15 rifles with 276 matching live rounds of .223 calibre ammunition, a .40 Glock pistol with 10 matching live rounds, a 9mm Uzi semi-automatic pistol and a 9mm Intratec pistol, with 229 matching live rounds.

Noble, who is stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters and is attached to the ballistics section of the firearm and ammunition examination, said he received the sealed items which were lodged for safe keeping at the Police Arms Store at the tactical Services Unit (TSU).

“On December 7, 2002, I uplifted the said sealed 15 parcels and conducted examinations of the contents. In brown paper CR1-HQ I discovered a 12-gauge shotgun...” Noble was interrupted at this point and asked to confine his testimony to the items for which the men were charged.

Noble said after examination he prepared a ballistics report and a statement of his findings, which were admitted as exhibits, at which time Hanoman began his cross-examination.

Requesting the Uzi pistol be shown to Noble, Hanoman asked the witness whether by any stretch of the imagination the weapon could be referred to as an Uzi silencer, to which he responded no.

“Besides the exhibits just shown to you, would you agree the serial numbers of the other firearms were erased?”

“Yes.”

“Now, the other primary reason that you could identify these weapons as concerning this incident was the letter `FW’ on the firearms, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you agree with me Sergeant Noble that you have seen exhibits other than these in court, with the initials FW on it?”

“Yes.”

“Now, from the 5th of December, 2002 to today, these exhibits in court were in your custody and control?”

“Yes.”

“Were these exhibits ever at the Brickdam Police Station.”

“No, sir.”

Hanoman then completed his cross-examination and the prosecutor again declined re-examination.

The hearing is scheduled to continue on July 18.