– Minister Bharrat says gov’t working to ‘clamp down’ on illegal operations

By Navendra Seoraj
THE cost of gold has climbed to over US$1,900 per ounce and while this presents great opportunities for local miners, it also breeds ‘desperation’ in the form of illegal mining operations, which in some cases are being protected by the notorious Venezuelan gang, ‘Synidcato’.

There have been multiple reports in recent times that the gang has been operating within the border regions and have been terrorising Guyanese citizens.
These actions have not only been driving fear in local hinterland communities, but Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, said it is also a means of protecting illegal mining operations, particularly in the Cuyuni area.

Late September, a Joint Service patrol from Guyana came under fire from the Venezuelan shore, reportedly from Syndicato gang members.
Guyana’s border with Venezuela is more than 1,000 kilometers long and patrols are conducted on a routine basis, by ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force.

But, even before the attack on the officers, employees of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), who were travelling from Eteringbang to conduct mining inspections in the Cuyuni River, came under fire from persons it believes to be part of the gang. On Friday, September 4, while those same workers were en route to their base, they were once again targeted.
A similar incident occurred in May 2016 when officers of the GGMC narrowly escaped injury after they came under attack, in the vicinity of Eteringbang, in the Cuyuni River.
Based on information gathered by authorities, most of those attacks were no coincidence, as they were done to protect Venezuelans who are mining illegally in Guyana.
“We understand the lucrativeness of gold because of the price, but it also reveals how desperate people can get because you have seen gun play in Cuyuni area with ‘Syndicato’ protecting illegal mining operations,” said Minister Bharrat during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday.
Bharrat said his ministry received information that Venezuelans are mining illegally and are being protected by the Syndicatos.

The minister said there are also Brazilians, who are mining illegally in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
“There are miners from Brazil and Venezuela who are mining legally because they are permitted to do so, but there are some who are doing it illegally.”
“We are working towards dealing with illegal mining because not only is it raping our country of resources and robbing people of benefits, it is also destroying the environment because they do not mine in a sustainable way, which is regulated in GGMC,” said Minister Bharrat.
As part of a renewed strategic vision for the extractive sector, particularly mining, Minister, Bharrat, has mandated the GGMC to intensify monitoring and compliance in keeping with the Mining Act and Regulations.

According to a recent report, this follows the relatively high price for gold and the much-anticipated gold rush which leads to illegal mining and raiding of legitimate mining properties.
It is for this reason that GGMC’s Mines Services Division has resuscitated its Prosecutorial Unit to combat the emerging trend of illegal mining.
Minister Bharrat pointed out that the dormancy of this unit resulted in a cavalier approach towards compliance by miners. The success of this unit has rapidly gained attention across the various mining districts, as the commission intensifies efforts to combat illegal mining and preservation of safe working environment.
According to the natural resources minister, the unit is well supported by the field staff of the division whose compliance checks were essential for filing the requisite charges in instances where offences were committed.