While searching five properties linked to armed-robbery suspects on March 25, police seized a nine-millimetre semi-automatic Glock pistol and 41 rounds of assorted ammunition, they said.
As a result of the operations, they took eight males into custody and charged five of them, including two teenagers.
Three Josiahs Bay residents were charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm and two counts of unlawful possession of explosives: Ernest Jacobs, 59; Prynce Jacobs, 19; and a 16-year-old boy, police said.
Another Josiahs Bay man, 43-year-old Ravie Joseph, was charged with overstaying a landing permit, according to police.
Additionally, a 14-year-old boy of Purcell Estate was charged with two counts of robbery.
The other three males taken into custody were released without charges.
The operations were carried out in connection with robberies that occurred at multiple locations on Tortola on March 3, police said.
Another minor was previously charged and remanded in connection with the same incidents.
‘Significant progress’
In a Friday statement announcing the arrests, police said they continue to make “significant progress” with their ongoing investigations into robberies and other property crimes around the territory.
Acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool commended the officers involved.
“The removal of illegal firearms and ammunition from our communities is a critical step in reducing the threat of violence and protecting innocent lives,” she said. “To date, a total of nine illegal firearms and more than 300 rounds of ammunition have been recovered as part of our intensified operations.”
