A POLICE officer was arrested during a sting operation yesterday after he allegedly offered a bribe to another officer, in an attempt to persuade the officer to forgo criminal charges against four of six people. The suspects were arrested during a raid between Sunday night and Monday morning in La Horquetta on gun charges.
The police constable, who is attached to a station in the Northern Division, reportedly approached the other officer on Monday night and offered to pay him $11,000 to not lay the charge of possession of arms and ammunition against the suspects, a senior officer told the Express.
The officer after being approached contacted Senior Superintendent Joseph Edwards, the head of the division, and told him of what had occurred, police investigators said.
A sting operation was set up, and a meeting was organized between the two officers outside the Arima Magistrate’s Court.
As the two met for the exchange of money outside the court yesterday, officers of the Northern Division Task Force (NDTF) arrested the officer, police said.
He was taken to the Arima Police Station where up to late yesterday evening, he was assisting officers with their investigations.
On Sunday night, the divisional task force officers raided a house in Manuel Congo Village, La Horquetta, and found a shotgun, a pistol and 625 rounds of assorted ammunition. The six people-three men and three women who were reportedly in the house at the time, including a 42-year-old businessman and his 23-year-old girlfriend, were arrested. The officers later went to the home of the businessman, who operates a poultry shop at Second Street, San Juan, where they reportedly found two revolvers, $542,000, and US$19,000.
All six remained in police custody last night.
Charges are expected to be laid soon, police said.
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