Police believe they foiled a planned retaliatory attack when they seized a high-powered rifle during an intelligence-driven operation in Couva on Thursday.
The operation was carried out by officers of the Central Division Gang and Intelligence Unit after they received credible and actionable intelligence from a confidential informant.
Police said the information indicated that members of a known gang operating in the Central Division and surrounding areas were planning a reprisal strike in response to a recent double murder in the Jade Court area. The source further revealed that the suspects had hidden high-powered rifles inside an abandoned structure along Arena Road, Freeport, so they could quickly retrieve them to carry out their plans.
An intelligence-led operation was launched under the direction of Snr Supt Bhagwandeen, Supt Frank, Supt Glodon and ASP Hernandez, and directly supervised by ASP Reyes, with support from the Central Criminal Investigation Department and the Operations Unit.
Officers identified the suspected stash location and initially deployed covert surveillance in an effort to catch the suspects when they returned to collect the weapons. However, police said the geographical layout of the area made continuous static surveillance challenging.
A search of the abandoned structure was executed, during which officers recovered a high-powered rifle wrapped in plastic.
While police did not identify the murder the reprisal was being planned for, on February 13, Devaughn Toussaint, 38, and Amelia Hernandez, 34, were shot dead at the Jade Court play park.
Toussaint was holding his three-year-old child when he was attacked; Hernandez tried to flee with the child but was also gunned down.
The killings happened in broad daylight and were witnessed by children and residents nearby, leaving the community deeply traumatised. - Kevon Felmine
