Police reported yesterday that they are investigating the discovery of a loaded 9mm pistol hidden in bushes just two to three feet from the Sage Pond Police Outpost after a minibus carrying about 25 passengers was intercepted during a police operation.
The black Smith & Wesson pistol, with its serial number intact, was found with a magazine containing eight live hollow-point rounds of ammunition shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Police said in a statement that the discovery was made after ranks intercepted a gold-coloured 41 Zone minibus along the dumpsite road in the vicinity of Forrester Place, Heroes Highway, at about 11:20 p.m. last Friday.
The ranks had received information that the minibus was allegedly transporting illegal items, so the driver and approximately 25 occupants, including men, women and children, were escorted to the Sage Pond Police Outpost, where the vehicle and passengers were searched.
Police said no illegal items were found during the search but that some of the female passengers were later allowed to use a washroom at the rear of the outpost, after which the minibus and its occupants were permitted to leave. It was then that a firearm had allegedly been thrown into the area behind the outpost by a Guyanese woman who appeared to be pregnant and had earlier requested to use the washroom.
Police said crime scene ranks processed and photographed the area, while the firearm, magazine and ammunition were marked, sealed and lodged.
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