Search warrant covers house of acting police director

The house of the Department of Public Safety’s shooting range master Ambrosio T. Ogumoro’s brother, acting DPS police director Capt. Aniceto Ogumoro, was also covered by a search warrant requested by the police.

According to documents filed in the Superior Court, investigators from the DPS Criminal Investigation Bureau asked the court to include in their search the residence of Capt. Aniceto Ogumoro, which is located near Ambrosio Ogumoro’s house in Capitol Hill.

CIB investigators also requested the court to search a 40-foot cargo container and a bunker both located behind Capt. Aniseto Ogumoro’s residence.

It was not clear yet whether CIB detectives proceeded with the search at the container, bunker and at the house of acting police director.

Detective Christopher Leon Guerrero said illegal firearms were possibly smuggled in when defendant Ambrosio Ogumoro returned to Saipan from the U.S. mainland.

Leon Guerrero said they received information that at some point one of Ambrosio Ogumoro’s cargo containers from the U.S. mainland had boxes of illegal high-powered rifles and ammunitions.

The detective said that on Jan. 2, 1998 the CNMI Customs officers seized a total of 2,763 high-powered rifle ammunitions.

The Customs logbook indicated that Aniceto Ogumoro was the intended recipient of the ammunitions coming from the U.S. mainland, Leon Guerrero said.

The detective said among the discoveries during their assessment at the Ogumoro family’s compound was a cargo container located behind the residence of Aniceto Ogumoro.

Leon Guerrero also mentioned that Ambrosio Ogumoro owns a 1991 21-footer fiberglass cabin boat which the defendant has been using to travel from Saipan to Tinian.

Leon Guerrero said Ambrosio Ogumoro has a girlfriend on Tinian who is a police officer.

It was alleged that the defendant has been helping his girlfriend in building a big house on Tinian.

Members of the DPS’ elite Tactical Response Enforcement Team with the assistance of some CIB detectives, arrested Ambrosio Ogumoro on Friday morning at DPS on allegations he beat up his wife and for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunitions.

Police stated in court papers that Ambrosio Ogumoro was also allegedly possibly involved in gun smuggling and that he threatened he would kill Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and blow up DPS.

Ambrosio Ogumoro was detained on charges of assault and battery, illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunitions. Police recommended to impose a $5 million cash bail for the defendant’s temporary liberty, but the court set $1million cash bail instead.

Ambrosio Ogumoro is the weapons specialist for the DPS who is also assigned as official armorer. He is in charge of the Armory Unit and the Firearms and Criminal Records Section.

When Juan Wabol was named by the administration as acting DPS Commissioner, he appointed Capt. Aniceto Ogumoro as director for police.