27-year-old Jamaican national has been sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawfully possessing a high-powered rifle and ammunition.
Akini Walker of Cassada Gardens appeared before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel this week, where he entered guilty pleas to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and 18 rounds of ammunition.
The court was told that the Belgian-manufactured weapon is capable of firing between 650 and 700 rounds per minute, with an effective range of 1,000 meters. Prosecutors emphasized the weapon’s extreme lethality, noting that only level three ballistic vests equipped with hard armour plates could withstand rounds from the rifle.
According to court proceedings, such protective equipment is not currently available to police or defence force personnel in Antigua and Barbuda, highlighting the severity of the threat posed by the weapon.
Walker was sentenced to four years and four months for possession of the firearm and two years for possession of ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve the longer term of four years and four months in prison.
