BELIZE CITY, Mon. Aug. 6, 2012
A BDF captain has been arrested and charged with handling stolen goods, being a firearm. He was taken to the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court, where he appeared in front of Magistrate Narda Morgan, who remanded him until September 3.
Captain Cunha, 35, the Commander of E Company of the Belize Defence Force stationed at Camp Belizario in the Cayo District, was arraigned on charges of keeping a firearm and ammunitions without a gun license, and handling stolen goods.
He was taken to court on Wednesday, July 30, and is being defended by attorney Ellis Arnold.
Police said that they were investigating the theft of a gun from the San Ignacio Police Station, and Cunha handed over the gun to them.
Reports are that a BDF soldier was identified on surveillance camera that was recording in the San Ignacio Police station. The camera recorded that between 4:20 and 4:36 on the morning of Monday, December 5, 2011, the policeman who was the diarist on duty fell asleep at the front desk.
As the policeman slept, a BDF soldier, identified as Adrian Gregory Francis, who came to the San Ignacio Police Station and saw the policeman sleeping leaned over the sleeping policeman, opened a locker and stole a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol with serial numbers ARK4703, loaded with a magazine containing 10 rounds, which was the property of Gareth Gentle and Anchor Security.
The police alleged that the soldier took the gun to Price Barracks and offered it for sale to his Commanding Officer, Captain Cunha.
Later that same day, two senior police officers from the San Ignacio Police Station investigating the case, visited the BDF Headquarters at Price Barracks in Ladyville, where the gun, the magazine and the bullets were handed over to them by Captain Cunha, who confirmed to the investigators that the soldier, Gregory Adrian Francis, had offered it to him for sale.
Francis was immediately arrested and charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm, possession of unlicensed ammunition and theft.
Captain Cunha was taken to the San Ignacio Police Station, where he gave a statement to investigators, and cooperated with the investigation.
Francis is currently on remand until September 3, when he is scheduled to reappear in court, along with Captain Cunha.