By Fareeza Haniff
[www.inewsguyana.com] – As the probe continues into the multi-million dollar gold smuggling ring, several persons are under government’s radar, as the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) leads the investigation.
Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman said, “There are some known persons and other players, local and international who are on the radar and as I said, we are moving to take action,” noting that Guyana is working in collaboration with foreign governments to tackle the crime.
“There is gold smuggling going on in Guyana. We’re aware of it and it is problem that’s being addressed and in fact a meeting is being convened on Thursday (September 10) with some agencies and persons concerned to see how we can better streamline our activities.”
iNews understands that a number of businessmen who have an interest in the gold mining sector have been fingered in the smuggling ring; most of them have businesses in Georgetown, Bartica and other interior communities.
While pointing out that several steps are being taken to arrest the situation, Trotman did not want to reveal what measures will be put in place by the APNU+AFC government.
“Bringing something like smuggling to zero is not always possible but it is the duty of government to bring it to a minimum,” Minister Trotman said.
Reports indicate that the US embassy has already moved in and revoked the visas for a number of businessmen over money laundering and smuggling suspicion; however Trotman could not confirm such.
PS. For clarification, there is a term called ‘flying under the radar’, which was coined from planes flying at such low altitudes as to avoid detection by radar. But for the purpose of this news story, the miners are ON the government’s radar.
Editors,
You guys are saying the miners are UNDER radar, when you really mean ON the radar. One is either on or off the radar.
That being said, it is unfair for the US Embassy to yank the visas of money laundering businessmen from Guyana, while the coalition government seems nonplussed about going after these people. This is a carryover from the PPP era when the US appeared as the law enforcement arm for Guyana. We need the US to help Guyana by providing information it obtained in deciding to revoke the visas.