THE police were last night searching for two security guards who allegedly made off with $100 million in local and foreign currency from the Guardsman armoured truck which they were employed to guard and transport.

Police said the men - Harvey Green of 5 West Bay Farm Road and Copeland Samuels of 45 Waltham Park Avenue, both in Kingston - were part of a four-member team on the armoured truck that was transporting money from Ocho Rios.

According to the police, the vehicle had left the company's Ocho Rios office with the money when on reaching the Hadden main road, near Moneague, two of the guards pulled their firearms on the driver and their other colleague.

The police reported that they were then joined by a third man who drove the truck to an off-road where they took the money, then boarded a waiting car.

The driver was handcuffed to the truck, but the other security guard, police said, managed to escape in nearby bushes later and reported the matter to the police.

The guards also left with the security company's firearms that were assigned to them. The serial numbers of the weapons were given by the police as BSK2393 and KK522229.

According to the St Ann Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer Courtney Johnson, the truck had departed the company's Ocho Rios office and was heading towards Kingston at around 10:30 pm when the incident occurred.

When the police arrived, they found the driver handcuffed to the truck.

A spokesman for Guardsman, who visited the Moneague police station yesterday, said the two security guards were employed to the company in 1992 and 2001. He said under company rules, guards are assigned to armoured vehicles after a minimum of three years with the company.

The armoured truck, registered 8196 EJ, which was removed to the Moneague station after the robbery, was dusted for fingerprints as investigators searched for clues.

The truck was allowed to leave the premises shortly after midday. But up to 2:00 pm the driver and the other guard were still being interrogated by the police.

"As dictated by the company's strict guidelines, the funds were fully insured," said a statement yesterday from Craig Morrison, managing director of Guardsman. He said the company was working closely with the police in their investigations.

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