GOG REQUESTS ASSISTANCE ON STOLEN WEAPONS

UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 000224 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS WHA/CAR DS/IP/WHA DS/CR/CIL CARACAS ALSO FOR DATT AND LEGATT PORT OF SPAIN ALSO FOR A/LEGATT AND DEA PARAMARIBO ALSO FOR DEA SAO PAULO ALSO FOR DEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ASEC MCAP SNAR KCOR KCRM GY SUBJECT: GOG REQUESTS ASSISTANCE ON STOLEN WEAPONS REF: (A)GEORGETOWN 205, (B)GEORGETOWN 162 ¶1. (U) Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon called a meeting with Ambassador on short notice March 3 to discuss the recent theft of weapons from a Guyana Defense Force (GDF) storehouse (ref A). ¶2. (U) Luncheon gave Ambassador a copy of an October 19, 2005, memorandum from himself, as Secretary of the Defense Board, to the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority Khurshid Sattaur. The memorandum provided customs clearance for the GDF to import five Baretta pistols. These weapons, along with thirty-three AK-47s, disappeared from the GDF warehouse sometime between February 23 and 27. ¶3. (U) Luncheon said these pistols were imported by Caribbean Cargo and Package Services (CCPS). CCPS is the same company that imported a shipment containing three firearms that was intercepted February 11 at Guyana's international airport (ref B). ¶4. (SBU) Luncheon's theory is that the Barettas were never intended for the GDF. Instead, some unknown purchasers of the weapons arranged for the military to import and hold them until a warehouse "theft" could be arranged to get them out. Luncheon expressed deep concern that he did not know how long this could have been going on. He referred repeatedly to the weapon smugglers' "nexus with the military". ¶5. (U) Luncheon asked Ambassador if the U.S. authorities could provide gun trace information for the five Baretta pistols. The serial numbers are as follows: BEK 425290 BEK 425291 BEK 425292 BEK 425293 BEK 42594 [sic], should probably read BEK 425294 ¶6. (U) RSO Georgetown requested that ATF provide gun trace information. The trace revealed that an individual in New Jersey purchased the weapons. BULLEN