By ONIKA JAMES Tuesday, September 22 2009

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SEIZED: A quantity of arms and ammunition, including an Uzi sub-machinegun (left) were seized by police over the weekend and 14 persons arrested. ...

FOURTEEN persons were arrested during the early morning hours of Sunday after being found with five firearms, including a high-powered Uzi sub-machine gun, and 137 rounds of assorted ammunition.

They are expected to all appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate today to answer charges of illegal possession of arms and ammunition.

According to a police report, at about 2.30 am, Western Division Task Force officers raided a house at Morvant Old Extension Road, Morvant where they found the Uzi sub-machine gun, a silencer and 114 rounds of ammunition. A family of nine was arrested and their ages range from 15 to 37.

Also on Sunday, in an unrelated incident, officers responding to a report of a robbery at St Francois Street, Carenage where six persons were robbed of laptop computers and other valuables, intercepted a car with four male occupants inside.

The officers searched the vehicle and found a .22 calibre semi-automatic pistol, six rounds of ammunition and four laptop computers. The men were arrested and the car impounded.

And in another incident, St James police officers intercepted a car shortly after it was stolen from the female owner, along the Western Main Road. The officers arrested two men who were in the stolen car and seized a .380 semi-automatic pistol loaded with three rounds of ammunition.

In addition, a 12-gauge shotgun and 12 cartridges were discovered in an abandoned lot of land at Savannah Terrace in Bagatelle on Friday night. No arrest was made. Another 12-gauge shotgun was found at Le Platte Village in Maraval last week Monday.