It may seem that possession of an unlicensed firearm is the trend among some young men in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).{{more}}

Last month, Carlos Thomas and Moah Williams were both sentenced to five years imprisonment for possession of unlicensed firearms.

Leroy Cuffy, a 25-year-old man from Barrouallie, will join Thomas and Williams at Her Majesty’s Prison to do his time for possession of an unlicensed .380 semi-automatic pistol and two rounds of ammunition.

On June 26, a team of police personnel from the Barrouallie Police Station and the Rapid Response Unit, headed by Sergeant Hoyte went to Cuffy’s home to conduct a search.

Cuffy was presented with the warrant and the men carried out the search.

When police constable Pompey searched the roof over the porch he found a magazine with two rounds of .380mm ammunition and the firearm.

Cuffy was cautioned, arrested and taken to the Barrouallie Police Station, where he admitted that the gun and ammunition belonged to him.

When he appeared at the Serious Offences Court on Wednesday, the young man pleaded guilty and said that he found the gun in a bag on the beach and took it home.

“I tek it up and carry it home. I didn’t get it for long,” he said.

Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias referred to the Firearms Act of SVG before sentencing Cuffy.

According to the act, possession of a firearm or ammunition without a licence carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment, a fine not exceeding $20,000, or both.

Browne-Matthias sentenced Cuffy to five years for possession of the firearm and six months for possession of the ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently.

A confiscation order for the gun and ammo was also made by Browne-Matthias.(CA)