The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is to seek legal advice from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the bewildering arms cache seized from a house on Sandy Babb street where murdered gold dealer Ricardo Fagundes had lived.
Six persons were taken into custody on Wednesday morning by the police following the find.
Regional Commander, Assistant Commissioner, Simon McBean told Stabroek News yesterday that the GPF is in the process of preparing a report on the matter to send to the DPP. When asked about ballistic examination of the weapons, the commander added that this is part of their investigation.
The startling find will raise questions about how long the arsenal was in existence and its use. It will also deepen the mystery around the yet unsolved murder of Fagundes, known as `Paper Shorts’ outside the Palm Court Restaurant and Bar in March 2021.
A Police intelligence-led operation was conducted at about 5.30 am on Wednesday during which a total of 26 handguns and high-powered rifles, along with a cache of ammunition were found.
Six persons were arrested and are in custody, assisting with the investigation, the police said in a statement.
The Police team, led by a Superintendent, went to Lot 25 Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, at the home of Eon Fagundes, a 47-year-old clothes vendor, where a Search Warrant was executed. As the Police team entered the yard, Eon Fagundes was seen exiting the door of a flat wooden house in the yard with a side bag in his right hand.
The police say that he was confronted, and a search was carried out in the bag and one Sig Sauer Rifle and one magazine containing fourteen 9mm rounds of ammunition, one Polimore-80 9mm pistol without serial number and one magazine containing eight 9mm rounds of ammunition, one Spring Field Armory 45 pistol and four magazines, one containing five live .45 rounds of ammunition, and one Bravo gun holster were found.
The police say that Fagundes was asked if he was the holder of a firearm licence to carry the said firearms and he said ‘no’.
He was told of the offences committed, arrested and cautioned.
A further search was carried out in the house, but nothing else was found. A black Nissan Juke vehicle (Registration number PVV 6472) was parked on Sandy Babb Street’s southern side, facing west, opposite Eon Fagundes’ house. The vehicle was well secured.
The police say that Fagundes was asked who owned the car, and he said his daughter and the mother of his child, but he was the person using the car. He gave Police the keys to the vehicle, and a search was then carried out in his presence and firearms, ammunition and magazines were found in a suitcase, one golf bag and a haversack:
The following persons who were at the said address in the house at the time of the Police operation were all arrested for questioning, namely:
** Carol Fagundes, the 66-year-old mother of Eon
** Devena Persaud, age 22 years, niece of Eon
** Theresa Fagundes, age 49 years, sister of Eon
** Tessa Persaud, age 48 years, sister of Eon
** Clement Thornton, age 48 years, a handyman
Ricardo Fagundes was riddled with bullets by two men outside of Palm Court around 10 pm on Sunday, March 21, 2021.
