Smuggling continues to hurt Guyana’s gold industry with the country losing between 50 to 60 percent of its annual gold production to the illegal trade.
Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman made the disclosure today as he hosted a press conference on matters concerning his Ministry.
Mr. Trotman said the authorities in Guyana have received information that large quantities of gold were being smuggled to neighboring Brazil and Suriname and as far as Europe and the Middle East.
There are also reports of smuggled gold from Guyana landing in Miami and at the JFK International Airport in New York.
Gold is reportedly also being smuggled into Guyana from Venezuela and Colombia, Trotman said.
These developments are worrying for the Guyanese authorities but the Minister welcomed the U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security’s partnership and sharing of intelligence with Guyana.
FBI and Homeland Security Officials visited Guyana late last year and met with the Trotman and the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan where this issue was discussed.
Minister Trotman said from the verbal report that was given, some companies and persons of interest have been identified and are being investigated for gold smuggling.
He was keen not to release those names and made it clear that it will not be done by any other Minister of the Government. He said the lead agency for investigating the illicit trade in Guyana is the Police Force which is being supported by the Anti Gold Smuggling Task Force and the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU).
Trotman gave every assurance that local law enforcement authorities were working to clamp down on gold smuggling.
Guyana recorded gold declarations totaling 451,000 in 2015 which is up from 2014 declaration. The government believes the increase in declarations represents a sign that things are improving incrementally even as the country continues to see an average of 15,000 ounces of gold being smuggled out of the country weekly
In August 2015, reports surfaced that a major investigation had commenced into the possible involvement of Customs and other security officers in the smuggling of raw gold out of the country.
A number of businessmen who have an interest in the gold mining sector have been fingered in the multimillion dollar gold smuggling ring. There are reports that their U.S visas have since been revoked by the local embassy.
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