Two men have been remanded into custody after appearing before Chief Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel on Friday, each facing firearms and ammunition charges — offences for which magistrates have no discretion to grant bail. According to Antigua.news, both arrests stemmed from separate police operations carried out in the early hours of Wednesday.
The first defendant, Cavel Brown of Freetown, pleaded guilty to both charges he faced: unlawful possession of a modified flare gun and unlawful possession of three rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition. The offences allegedly occurred at approximately 4:05 am in Freetown on May 6th. His matter was adjourned to May 18th for sentencing.
The second defendant, Twini Payne of Collins, faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm — specifically a Taurus G25 nine-millimetre pistol — along with unlawful possession of a magazine and unlawful possession of three rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition. No plea was entered in Payne's case, and the matter was adjourned to June 30th, 2026.
The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda stated that it is continuing to intensify operations aimed at removing illegal firearms and ammunition from the nation's streets. The Force is urging members of the public to cooperate in the ongoing effort to combat gun-related crime.
Anyone with information regarding illegal firearms is encouraged to contact the Criminal Investigations Department at 462-3913 or the anonymous Crimestoppers hotline at 800-TIPS (8477).
