A Venezuelan businessman who was allegedly trying to sell ammunition to the residents of Arau, Region Seven, was yesterday remanded to prison after he failed to give the court a fixed place of abode.
Jorge Guerreiro, 49, pleaded not guilty to an unlawful possession of ammunition charge, which was read by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magis-trate’s Court One.
The charge stated that on October 16 at Arau Village, Cuyuni River, Guerreiro had in his possession sixteen 12- gauge ammunition shells without being the holder of a firearm licence at that time.
Guerreiro was represented by attorney-at-law Ravindra Mohabir who told the court that his client has two children and came into the country to sell items such as perfumes.
However, according to prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, investigations revealed that on the day in question, Guerreiro went into the village of Arau to sell the ammunition to members of the community. He was apprehended by members of the Community Policing Group (CPG), who conducted a search of the defendant. The ammunition was found in a haversack, which belonged to Guerreiro who was subsequently arrested and escorted to the Arau Police Station, where he was handed over to the police.
According to Mansfield, Guerreiro admitted to the ownership of the ammunition in the presence of the police. However, during the course of interrogation, when asked if he owned a firearm, his response was “no”.
Mansfield added that the file is still incomplete at this stage.
The magistrate remanded Guerreiro to prison on the grounds that he failed to give the court a fixed place of abode. The accused is scheduled to make his next appearance at the Kamarang Magistrate Court on December 16.
