Police in Regional Division #9 have arrested Tony Joseph, a 54-year-old farmer of Shiri Village, South Central Rupununi, after he allegedly threatened to shoot several village councillors during a domestic dispute.
According to reports, police ranks acted swiftly on Friday after receiving complaints from the councillors who said Joseph had made violent threats following an ongoing personal issue. A team of officers journeyed to Shiri Village, where they found the suspect and his 33-year-old girlfriend at the home of his cousin.
A search of the premises uncovered an unloaded single-barrel shotgun without a serial number. The discovery prompted police to escort Joseph to his nearby home for further investigation. There, ranks found a plastic bag containing five live cartridges, five spent shells, and two plastic tubes of gunpowder — all of which were seized.
Police said the firearm, ammunition, and gunpowder were photographed, marked, and lodged as exhibits at the Lethem Police Station. Joseph was taken into custody as investigations continue.
During questioning by detectives, Joseph reportedly claimed that the shotgun belonged to his cousin, insisting that only the cartridges were his property. He told investigators that he had purchased the ammunition in Brazil and would occasionally resell cartridges to other farmers in the area — an admission that has since widened the scope of the probe.
Law enforcement sources in Lethem told reporters that the cross-border trade in ammunition and gunpowder has long been a concern, with several farmers in remote communities using homemade or unregistered firearms for hunting and crop protection. Police say the matter underscores the importance of continued firearm amnesty and registration campaigns in hinterland regions.
Efforts are ongoing to locate Joseph’s cousin, at whose residence the shotgun was discovered. Investigators are also seeking to determine whether the seized items were part of a larger network of illegal ammunition smuggling from Brazil.
Joseph remains in police custody pending charges.
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