GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Updated 11:41 p.m. local time Thursday, June 4, 2026, by Denis Chabrol
In a major development in an illegal firearms investigation that has gripped Guyana, two of three suspects wanted by the Guyana Police Force in connection with the seizure of 10 fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles have turned themselves in to law enforcement authorities. The third suspect remains at large more than a week after the weapons cache was discovered.
The two suspects who surrendered are 33-year-old Antonio Alonzo “Lanzo” Lawrie, a businessman based at Lot 959 Farm in the New Housing Scheme on Demerara’s East Bank, and 21-year-old Gregory Anthony Persaud, a wash-bay attendant with addresses in Area ‘G’ Ogle and Farm, both on Demerara’s East Coast. Both men were taken into custody immediately after presenting themselves at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters on Vlissengen Road in Georgetown, accompanied by their legal representation, police confirmed.
Authorities are still actively searching for the third wanted suspect, Ryan “Satan” Singh, who resides at Parika Outfall Seadam. No additional details on the ongoing manhunt for Singh were immediately released as of Thursday evening.
The investigation traces back to a routine stop-and-search operation conducted overnight between 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on May 28 along the access road leading to the Berbice River Bridge. During the checkpoint, officers attempted to pull over a black Toyota Corolla Fielder with registration number HC 9018. Instead of complying with the order to stop, the vehicle’s driver accelerated away from police, fleeing eastbound along the roadway, according to official police accounts.
Acting on intelligence gathered following the escape, law enforcement teams launched a targeted search along the public road in No. 11 Village, where they uncovered the cache of 10 AK-47 rifles concealed in plastic wrapping and cloth. The discovery marked one of the largest illegal arms seizures in Guyana in recent months.
Separately, in early proceedings connected to the case, 33-year-old Stephen Raja of Back Street, Goed Fortuin Village, was arraigned on charges of illegal possession of firearms on May 28. Bail was denied to Raja, and he was remanded into prison custody ahead of his next court appearance, scheduled for June 15.