Cops come under fire while engaging chicken smugglers

Some of the chicken the smugglers were able to load into the bus before the police interrupted the illegal operation

On Thursday morning ranks from the police ‘C’ Division came under fire after responding to a report of suspicious activities on the Belfield Seawall.

This latest incident comes less than three weeks after agents on a joint operation came under in Mahaica from smugglers resulting in a rank from the Customs Anti- Narcotics Unit being injured. CANU Officer shot during multi-agency interception of boat with contraband

BIG Smith News Watch was informed that a party of policemen were at the time responding to information that suggested there was some sort of abnormal activity taking place on the Belfield Foreshore and Seawalls, East Coast Demerara.

As they arrived at the location, the ranks observed a white minibus bearing registration plate PEE 8771 and a gentleman close by. As they got closer, enough to see over the seawalls, they observed three males on the mudflat in close proximity to a while boat which also had one other occupant inside.

The bus into which the chicken was being loaded

The boat according to police sources measured some 35-Ft. As the police got closer, they came under fire forcing them to take cover, return fore and continued their advancement towards the boat in a tactical manner.

However the three men who were on the mudflat managed to make their way onto the boat and along with the other who was already in it, escaped. Further investigation found that the men were loading suspected unaccustomed goods, namely chicken from the boat into the minibus.

BIG Smith News Watch was told that the police detained the man who was next to the bus and as the proceeded to search the bus. The man provided his name as 28 year old Reeaz Ali, a barber of Lot 145 Marshan Street Annandale, East Coast Demerara.

A count of the items in the bus revealed that eighty three packs of chicken were already placed into the minibus. The man was escorted to the station where the items were weight and each bag was found to contain ten pounds of chicken each.

The police then contacted agents of the Guyana Revenue Authority and they arrived at the location and took the man and the contraband into their custody. None of the police officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire.