Gold and Diamond Miners Association supports Government's plan to tackle gold smuggling

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has welcomed the intention by the Guyana Government to clamp down on gold smuggling and address illegal practices that have been plaguing the mining sector.

In its latest statement, the GGDMA said it is in full support of the Government’s call to ramp up efforts to deal with gold smuggling and other illegal practices in the sector.

The Government, through the Natural Resources Ministry has already announced that it will be identifying and regularizing specific areas that will be designated landings in the interior as well as to include additional mechanisms to address the legitimacy of where persons can conduct the business in support of the mining sector in the mining community as well as addressing the movement of individuals in the interior, including shops and miners.

There will also be measures to account for persons that are doing business in the interior.

Further, the Government also plans to engage in additional strategic operations in targeting cluster/area that have been reported on raiding. This will include doing sweeps addressing issues with conflicts of tenure, as well as conducting additional surveillance in relation to entities that are trading in vulnerable minerals.

“The GGDMA welcomes and will continue to engage the Government of Guyana to address the rogue elements that sully the operations of the GGMC. Since taking office, the present administration has, much to the benefit of the industry, reinstated all of the incentives that were previously removed and have worked closely with stakeholders in the industry to create even more incentives in support of the industry and also to boost declaration,” the GGDMA said in a statement.

The organization has issued a call to its members and all miners to ensure fair and true declarations, as well as to increase production and to work with the government to reduce illegal operations in the sector.

⁠” We wish to reiterate GGDMA’s support for the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Natural resources in taking the necessary actions to increase production, declarations and curbing smuggling,” the GGMA said.

Over the last month or so, the Government has said that it will be taking a tough stand on gold smuggling, with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo declaring war on the illegal trade.

The issue of gold smuggling has been on the front burner in recent times as the country continues to witness a dramatic decline in declaration from its once main export earner.

Last month, one of the key players in the gold mining sector in Guyana, Mohameds Enterprises was sanctioned along with its owners, Nazar and Azruddin Mohammed for their alleged under declaration of gold, among other issues. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Mae Thomas, has also been sanctioned by the US Government.