Police have seized hundreds of assorted military uniforms and other paraphernalia that were shipped into the country and went past through the Queen Elizabeth Quay.
The Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Superintendent Richard PG Roberts says six people have been arrested following the seizure of the varying quantities of military uniforms at Percival Street in Freetown.
He told Politico that the items were discovered in a garage, after police had acted on a tipoff.
“We rushed to the scene at Percival Street [and] when the officers went there fortunately for us they were just offloading [the] gear,” Supt Roberts said, adding that the items had been brought there “by two young men and a lady”.
He said there was a garage owner who was supposed to receive the gear and hand it over to “those who were supposed to receive it”.
Two military personnel showed up “claiming to be the owners or part owners of the consignment”, the CID boss said.
He added that six people had been arrested including two soldiers.
“They said the items came in from the UK saying that the woman who had shipped them used to send such items here for sale”, Supt. Robert went on to say.
The items are: 35 desert jackets, 30 desert trousers, 60 desert combats, 35 British uniforms, 10 British rain suit jackets, three British trousers, 20 desert pullover jerseys, 12 old British uniform suits (plus one jacket), 13 computerised desert suits (plus 10 jackets), six desert jackets, 12 desert suits, 25 helmets, 38 pairs of brown boots, 12 pairs of black boots, 11 green pullover jerseys and 21 bundles of uniforms.
It is not immediately clear how many uniforms are inside each of the 21 bundles.
It has also not yet been established as to whether or not the military items are in any way related to the recent seizures of pistols allegedly brought in by an opposition Member of Parliament, or cartridges on the border area with Guinea. Both of those matters have now been charged to court.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (02/08/21)
