– Gold prices attracting illegal crossing into Guyana

FOUR Venezuelans, who are reportedly members of the feared Syndicato gang, were arrested by Police on Friday, in Region One.

Police also seized two All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) along with $100,000 and a quantity of what appears to be raw gold. Police Headquarters, in a statement, noted that ranks conducted a search of a hotel in Port Kaituma, North West District (NWD), where they found the men along with two Guyanese.

The Venezuelans claimed to be miners in Venezuela but the Police said they did not provide any documents as proof and it appears that they are suspected to be members of the Syndicato gang.

The men were arrested for failing to present themselves to immigration, while the Guyanese, who also claimed to be miners, were arrested for aiding and abetting the Venezuelans to enter Guyana illegally.

The cost of gold has climbed to over US$1,900 per ounce and while this presents a great opportunity for local miners, it also breeds ‘desperation’ in the form of illegal mining operations, which, in some cases are being protected by the Syndcato gang.

There have been multiple reports recently that the gang has been operating within the bordering 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.

Last month, a Joint Services 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 believed to be part of the gang.

On September 4, while those same workers were enroute 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.

As part of a renewed strategic vision for the extractive sector, particularly mining, the Natural Resource Minister 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.