By Latrishka Thomas
Another unlicensed firearm has been removed from the streets of Antigua and Barbuda, leading to a man facing a substantial fine.
The individual in question now has to come up with $30,000 to settle charges related to possessing a gun and ammunition without the necessary licence.
Josh Lucien, a 26-year-old, pleaded guilty to being in possession of 11 rounds of 9mm ammunition and a Ruger SR9c 9mm pistol without the required licence when he appeared in the St John’s Magistrates’ court yesterday.
The court proceedings revealed that on August 25, at around 6:40 am, officers from the Criminal Investigations Department were conducting a mobile patrol in the Ottos area when they observed Lucien sitting in a vehicle, behaving suspiciously.
Following their request, he consented to a search of the vehicle.
During the search, the officers discovered the firearm and ammunition concealed within a blue bag.
Lucien apparently told the police that the items are “just subbin me find.”
The Jennings resident was subsequently apprehended, charged, and brought before the court.
During the hearing, the National Solid Waste Management Authority employee admitted to the offence and then explained that he stumbled upon the weapon while cleaning a gutter near an abandoned house, and regrettably failed to report it.
The court learned that Lucien had previously served a five-year prison sentence for aggravated robbery.
His lawyer, Wendel Robinson, appealed to the court for leniency, highlighting that this prior conviction did not involve a firearm and had occurred several years ago. Robinson further stressed that his client was on the verge of becoming a father.
As a result, Magistrate Dexter Wason handed down a sentence, requiring Lucien to pay a fine of $20,000 for possessing the firearm and an additional $10,000 for the ammunition.