GEORGETOWN – Guyana police say they have seized more than GUY$130 million (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) in cash and gold, after carrying out an operation at different locations in Bartica.
In a statement, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) said the joint intelligence led operation on Tuesday also led to the arrested of three people and they are assisting in the investigations into gold smuggling and money laundering.
“These persons have been under surveillance for an extended period by both local and,” SOCU said in the statement.
“This action is part of a comprehensive national strategy aimed at dismantling criminal networks involved in gold smuggling and organized crime in Guyana,” it added.
It said that the GUY $100 million in gold seized stemmed from the attempted purchase of undeclared gold.
Last month, President Irfaan Ali put rogue gold operators on notice, issuing a blistering warning that anyone caught siphoning Guyana’s gold out of the economy will “lose your business,” as the government signalled an aggressive crackdown on gold smuggling.
“I want those who enjoy the benefits of the incentives we have given for gold mining, those who still are not complying with the declaration, we are going to come after you hard and strong. We will find you, and you will lose your business. You are reaping the benefits from this sector; you have a responsibility to declare your gold, and you have a responsibility to do so not by choice, but by law.”
Ali stressed the government’s zero tolerance for anyone defying the law, noting that one gold smuggler alone stole more than GUY$190 billion from the Guyanese economy. (CMC)
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