Another illegal gun found during traffic stop

(CNS): The police have seized another unlicensed gun after stopping two cars on Mary Street in George Town in the early hours of Sunday morning. Two West Bay men, aged 24 and 27, have now been charged and are expected in court today in relation to the discovery of the loaded weapon. Police Commissioner Kurt Walton has said there are at least 90 illegal guns on the streets of the Cayman Islands that have been used in past crimes. Since the establishment of the ballistics lab on Grand Cayman, it only takes the RCIPS about 48 hours to match a weapon to a crime.

This latest weapon was found after police stopped and searched two vehicles that appeared to have been travelling together along North Church Street, according to a press release. The vehicles stopped on Mary Street near McField Lane, and when officers approached the drivers, it became apparent the men were intoxicated.

Both cars were searched, and in one of the vehicles, which had two male occupants, a black handgun was found and taken as evidence. The two men in that car were arrested on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Nothing illegal was found during the search of the second vehicle, but police nevertheless seized it as evidence. The driver of that vehicle, a 31-year-old man also from West Bay, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving whilst disqualified and other driving offences. He has since been bailed as the investigation continues.

Last year, the police seized 23 illegal guns, and so far this year, they have seized another six as they continue to address what Walton has called the “insatiable appetite” of young men here for guns.