An explosive shoot-out on Saturday in the Pomeroon which resulted in the death of a Venezuelan man and the arrest of another after they kidnapped a mother and a child is believed to be linked to drugs, a statement from the Guyana Police Force last evening said.
“Police are of the view that this incident is drug related as one of the men involved is identified as being involved in drug-related activities,” the police statement said. The mother and child were freed from a house after the shoot-out and the police were yesterday still hunting for other suspects in the case.
The dead man, based upon documents found on his person, has been identified as Raul Antonio Munoz Centeno, 30, of Venezuela.
Up to late last night two other men were being hunted by the police while the kidnap victim Shaliza Dataram and her husband, Barry Dataram, have been detained for further questioning.
Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee while praising the work of the police in rescuing the kidnapped victims said that the incident is another sign that “drugs are coming across our borders, facilitated by elements in these territories.” He said this was of concern to the government. An officer close to the investigation said that based upon reports they have received so far the entire operation was as a result of a soured business deal. A senior police officer in the Pomeroon area yesterday said they would be contacting their Venezuelan counterparts today with a view to positively identifying the dead man and also to seek assistance in their investigation.
The police said in their statement that about 12 noon on Saturday Barry Dataram, 29, of Ruimzeight Gardens, WCD, reported to them that about 2 am the said day as he was about to enter his home, two masked men armed with a rifle and a handgun held him at gunpoint and forced him into the building. The two armed men tied him up and allegedly demanded cash and jewellery and Dataram’s wife Shazila handed over US$16,000; $800,000 and jewellery to the value of $40,000. The men then took Shazila Dataram and their three-year-old daughter and escaped in Barry Dataram’s motor car after telling him that they will call him later for more money.
Police said in their statement that further investigations revealed that the two armed men had taken Shazila Dataram and her daughter to Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo where they joined a boat captained by a man and disembarked at Pomeroon, making their way to the home of a resident. One of the men told the resident that they were on their way to Venezuela but the captain had to get a larger boat and requested to stay there until the captain returned with the boat, the police statement said. It added that the boat captain later returned with a third man in another boat and after some discussion they left.
According to the statement police responded to a tip and about 1:30 pm on Saturday as they were on their way to the resident’s premises they came across the boat with the captain and the third man. The police called upon them to stop but they attempted to outrun the police who then discharged shots across the front of the vessel. Police said the captain jumped overboard and escaped while the other man was arrested. He is in police custody and has been identified as Venezuelan national Jesus Oliva Ortega Manriquez, 43 years, who was deported from Guyana on November 27, 2007 for illegal entry after he was arrested in Georgetown.
“The police continued to the residence of (the Pomeroon man) where they came under fire from the two armed men. The police returned fire and fatally wounded one of them, while the other who was armed with the rifle managed to escape,” the statement said.
Police said that an identification card in the name of Venezuelan Raul Antonio Munoz Centeno was found on the body of the deceased. Shazila Dataram and her three-year-old daughter were rescued unharmed and a 9mm pistol with one matching round, two bulletproof vests and four cell phones were recovered at the scene by the police, the statement added.
Stabroek News was told that the men apparently knew that Barry Dataram was out and they waited for him at his home. One of the men was identified as the Venezuelan who was later shot dead. According to reports when Dataram arrived and was about to enter his house he was confronted by the men who demanded a sum of money. Dataram is said to be a businessman who operates a farm in the Cuyuni Creek.
Meanwhile, Rohee in an invited comment last evening told this newspaper that the police ought to be commended for their good work. “This is another example of very effective and efficient work of the ranks on the Essequibo Coast. They were able to act decisively on receipt of information and as a result of that, a family has been saved,” Rohee said.
Noting that the smuggling of drugs and guns was taking place at the country’s borders, Rohee said that steps were being taken to stamp this out. He mentioned that recently a delegation from Guyana travelled to Brazil for the first meeting of the Guyana/Brazil Police Joint Commission and the first meeting of the committee on the fight against drugs and illicit weapons.
The Home Affairs Minister said that similar approaches are needed with other neighbouring states since the trafficking of drugs and guns was occurring on all fronts.
