A senior police source says concerted efforts were made to find three men wanted in connection with the arms discovery on Regent Street before bulletins were issued for them.
Police had issued wanted bulletins for businessman Clayton Hutson, Trinidadian Joseph Aboud and Frankie Ross after three high-powered weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found at the Regent Street abode.
Hutson’s lawyers in a statement released to the media shortly after the businessman turned himself in, condemned “the recently developed practice by the police of publishing in the newspaper the photograph and other biographic details of citizens even before police have made any significant effort to locate them”.
However the officer refuted this statement yesterday stressing that every effort was made to located the three men before wanted bulletins were issued for them.
This newspaper was told that police went to the East Coast Demerara home of a woman closely associated with Hutson, in an attempt to find him but found instead that she was stealing electricity.
The officer said that the woman was subsequently charged and her case is being heard at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.
Further the officer told Stabroek News that several other places were searched but ranks did not find the businessman.
In the case of Aboud his residence was searched on several occasions but he too was not found and Ross’s three relatives who were arrested at the Regent Street premises were not helpful.
“Some lawyers are known to jump and make these reckless statements and this was a reckless statement. Before their photographs were published we made several attempts to find them”, the officer stressed.
Police had said in a release that members of the joint services searched the Lot 120 Regent Street address and discovered an AK-47 rifle with the number filed off; a pistol with a silencer; a Mossberg shotgun; 713 rounds of ammunition of various calibre; 7 magazines for different firearms; a green camouflage water bottle and a green canvas pouch. The police had said that the items were in a barrel.
Sources however have told this newspaper that the items were not discovered in a barrel but rather were in a bag that was handed over to an army official.
That bag was passed on to a senior official and members of the military later descended on the home and carried out a search. The police were later informed and removed a barrel from the house.
Aboud first turned himself in but was released from custody 72 hours later, after his attorney Mark Waldron secured an order from the High Court for the police to show cause why he should not be released. No charges were laid neither was he released on station bail. The police have not instructed the man to return at any time for further questioning.
Hutson however was released on $30,000 bail on Saturday morning hours before he was to be produced in the High Court following the filing of habeas corpus proceedings.
He was also required to report to the police on Monday as a condition for his release. This was done and he is scheduled to make another visit to police later this week.
Ross remains at large and several police officers have told this newspaper that law enforcement officials are no closer to finding the man.
Authorities said they have no clue where the man might be but some sources say that Ross might have fled the country while others believe he might just be lying low until the right time comes to turn himself in.
