Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the theft and attempted sale of a military service firearm. Among those arrested is 32-year-old taxi driver S.R., who initially denied knowing anything about the disappearance of the weapon, but later made a full confession. The firearm has since been recovered, but the accompanying magazine and ammunition are still missing.
The case came to light after a soldier reported the theft or embezzlement of his service weapon, a 9-millimetre Taurus pistol, on Thursday, October 29, 2026. The soldier stated that, after completing his assignment at a taxi company on Kwattaweg, near Garnizoenspad, he had taken a taxi home.
Shortly after arriving, he discovered that he had left his service weapon in the taxi. Through the taxi company, he contacted the driver several times by telephone, but the driver repeatedly maintained that he had not found a firearm in his vehicle.
An initial police search of the taxi yielded nothing. The case was subsequently transferred to the Militaire Politie (MP), which received information that the driver had allegedly offered the weapon for sale in the ressort of Welgelegen.
Weapon seized during sale negotiations
The Kapitale Delicten (KD) department of the Korps Politie Suriname was involved in the investigation. It emerged that the firearm was meanwhile being offered for sale through another person.
During negotiations over the sale, the seller pointed the firearm at a potential buyer. The latter, however, managed to take the weapon away from the seller. The service weapon was subsequently returned to the Militaire Politie through an intermediary. The magazine and accompanying ammunition were missing.
Police traced the potential buyer, D.N., and took him in for questioning. Based on his statement, 34-year-old J.B., who had offered the weapon for sale, was traced and arrested. Further investigation showed that J.B. had received the firearm from his 32-year-old friend R.W., with instructions to find a buyer. R.W. was also arrested.
Taxi driver confesses
On Thursday, November 5, taxi driver S.R. was arrested at his home address with the assistance of police from bureau Kwatta. His vehicle was seized for further investigation. Although S.R. initially denied any involvement, he confessed during his arraignment that he had given the abandoned service weapon to R.W. to keep for him.
According to his statement, they later jointly decided to sell the firearm. R.W. then enlisted J.B. to look for potential buyers. The 29-year-old G.B., J.B.’s younger brother, was also arrested with the assistance of Recherche Regio West. According to police, he was present when his brother delivered the firearm for sale.
Four suspects remanded in custody
Following consultation with the Openbaar Ministerie (OM), J.B., R.W. and G.B. were remanded in custody on suspicion of receiving stolen goods and violating the Firearms Act. Taxi driver S.R. was remanded in custody on suspicion of theft, embezzlement and violating the Firearms Act.
The investigation by the Kapitale Delicten department is continuing. Police are attempting, among other things, to determine the whereabouts of the missing magazine and ammunition.
