He is a meter reader for BWSL and his girlfriend is a hairstylist but police say it looks like in their spare time, 33-year-old Ruben Herbert and 21-year-old Michelle Lewis collected stolen guns. In a surprise raid of the couple's La Croix Street home at 5 am this morning, police recovered 5 guns at least three of which have been traced back to the burglary at the Bliss Center. Those are 5 of the 8 guns police recovered within 24 hours and this afternoon they were all shown to the media.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This 16 gauge sawed off shotgun was found yesterday evening in a swamp along with ten pounds of marijuana and these, which at first looked like three packets of cocaine. CIB boss Aaron Guzman says it's actually cardboard that's stuffed into these packets.
Aaron Guzman, C.I.B. Chief
"Initially three kilos of suspected cocaine. We have found out that they are fake and it is all board that is wrapped inside those wrappers there. So the three fake kilos, the ten pounds of marijuana, and this sawed off shotgun were found yesterday evening in the Port Loyola area, Jane Usher Boulevard, in an area that has mangroves."
And it is cooperation from the community which also led them to this.38 revolver along with 5 live rounds of ammunition. But the Patrol Branch's Commander Superintendent
Edward Broaster says it was good old fashioned police work, which led them to this ak-47.
Supt. Edward Broaster, Commander - Patrol Branch
"Yesterday at about 6:30 pm another mobile patrol was doing patrol in the area of Dean Street and Amara Avenue where they executed search on the premise of one Patrick Flowers and they discovered the ak-47 along with three live rounds of 5.56 ammunition under the mattress. As a result of that, 4 persons have been arrested and charged and taken to court today."
The mother load of guns was discovered this morning when CIB officers descended
on the La Croix Street home of Ruben Herbert and Michelle Lewis. There they found three 9-milimeter guns and two 12 gauge pump action shotguns and corresponding ammunition. Four of the guns were the ones stolen from the Bliss Center.
Aaron Guzman,
"Recovered these two pump action shotguns that were stolen some two weeks ago from the Bliss Institute for the Performing Arts. They have identified as those weapons that were stolen. Also recovered this morning in that search by the Major Crimes team were those three 9-milimeter pistols. Two of them have been identified as that from that same aggravated burglary. The other one has been identified as one that was stolen from a gentleman who was robbed in Maxboro some two weeks ago."
That's five firearms in one search and if you tally the days total - its 8 guns. It is a lot but Eastern Division boss Allan Whylie conceded that more guns are still out there - including the ten stolen from anchor security earlier this year.
Allan Whylie, Eastern Division Boss
"The investigation is a continuous process. We don't give up, we continue to receive information and each and every information received is acted upon so we are optimistic that eventually we will be able to crack that case.
This effort will continue and I want to thank members of the public as well as members of the Police Department who continue to work tirelessly as we try to maintain law and order and minimize crime within Belize City."
Supt. Edward Broaster,
"We want to commend our police officers out there on patrol. They have been working tirelessly, working together, coordinating their strategies of patrolling the streets and making it safe for the public in general."
In the case of the sawed off shotgun, no one was found in the area. As for the La Croix Street search, Ruben Herbert and Michelle Lewis appeared in Magistrate's Court this afternoon where they were charged with 5 counts of keeping an unlicensed firearm, 2 counts of keeping unlicensed ammunition, and 3 counts of handling stolen goods. They were defended by Dickie Bradley and released on bail of $15,000 each. They are due back in court on September 28th.
For the AK-47, 21-year-old Patrick Flowers Jr., 24-year-old Ashanti Flowers, 19 year old Crystal Gillett, and 47 year old Phillipa Flowers were all jointly charged for keeping a prohibited firearm and ammunition.
