Ex-cop Remanded on Gun and Drug Charges

September 12 2025

A 39-year-old former police officer was on Friday remanded to prison after being slapped with firearm, ammunition, and narcotics charges.

The accused, Franz Paul, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he pleaded not guilty.

It is alleged that on September 9, at Vlissengen Road, Paul was found in possession of 2,267 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

A separate charge accused him of having a .22 pistol and two live .22 rounds of ammunition without a firearm license.

Paul was represented by attorney Dominick Bess, who told the court that his client is a businessman and a former police officer with no pending matters or convictions.

According to Bess, Paul had been driving his vehicle, which is also used by others, when police searched it in his absence. He said officers later informed his client that they had discovered items suspected to be narcotics in the trunk.

The attorney stressed that no official report has been presented confirming that the seized items were in fact drugs, a firearm, or ammunition. He assured the court that Paul would return if granted bail.

The prosecutor, however, strongly objected to bail, pointing to the seriousness of the offences.

The court heard that the firearm was allegedly found in Paul’s right pants pocket, while the drugs were located in his vehicle, which he alone occupied at the time.

The prosecutor further reminded the court that Paul, while a member of the Guyana Police Force, had previously appeared in court in 2014 on firearm-related charges after allegedly shooting a teenager in the mouth during a game of Russian roulette.

Although that case did not result in conviction, the prosecutor argued that Paul’s history warranted denial of bail.

Bess countered that his client has never been convicted of any offence and that the prosecution had not yet proven the alleged gun was indeed a firearm.

He maintained that the narcotics remain “suspected” until test results are produced, stressing Paul’s presumption of innocence.

The prosecutor confirmed that laboratory results on the suspected cannabis are pending.

After hearing both sides, Magistrate McGusty refused bail and adjourned the case to September 19.

Paul’s life has been marked by a series of controversies.

These include a 2014 shooting of a teenager in the mouth, which was later settled for $2 million in 2018, a 2018 firearm and threats case involving his reputed wife, and a conspiracy charge that was eventually dismissed.

These incidents preceded his latest firearm and drug charges.