A 44-year-old U.S based Guyanese man was today charged with attempting to smuggle just over two pounds of raw gold out of Guyana.
The accused Vibert Marks was busted at the Cheddi Jagan Airport on the 18th November 2019 with the precious and pricy metal in his suitcases as he was about to board a flight to New York.
The Court was told that Marks is not the holder of a gold export license. He was stopped and questioned by CANU agents at the airport after the raw gold was noticed in his suitcase.
The gold carried a value of over $7 million.
He reportedly admitted to being in possession of the raw gold while not being a gold producer or an exporter.
It was also revealed in Court that the man is currently under investigation for money laundering and corrupt transactions. He is likely to face additional charges within days.
The Police Prosecutor requested that bail not be granted since there is a likelihood that the man might not return to Court.
But the Attorney representing the accused explained to the Court that the offence was a bailable one and therefore the man ought to be granted bail.
The Magistrate granted bail in the sum of $200,000 and ordered the accused to return to Court next month for the continuation of the gold smuggling case.
It was ordered that his passport remains in the custody of the Police Force.
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