The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) made a huge seizure of illegal fuel at the “Old Mac” wharf on the Essequibo Coast, resulting in the arrests of five persons for questioning. The five have since been released on bail.
GEA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mahender Sharma told Stabroek News that the officials of the agency received information on Tuesday night that fuel was being dispensed at the wharf.
Sharma said that with that assistance of the police, GEA officers intercepted five persons who were in the act of pumping gasoline from “an unregistered wooden boat into a fuel tanker number GGG 2315, registered to Riyadh Khan of Henrietta, Essequibo Coast.”
Sharma added that the GEA was up to yesterday still verifying the actual volumes seized.
So far, he noted, officers have secured 77 x 50-gallon plastic drums filled with gasoline and the fuel tanker containing about 450 gallons of gasoline, a total of approximately 4,300 UK gallons.
Sharma said that the information provided thus far indicates that the fuel was obtained from Region 1. A source in Region One indicated to Stabroek News that the boat was carrying contraband fuel from Venezuela. It was stated that the interception was made off the Coast of Region Two in the Atlantic Ocean.
The source said that the boat was taken to a wharf at Airy Hall, where GEA officers supervised the removal of fuel barrels. The source said that a tanker truck belonging to an Anna Regina businessman was also seized and is currently in the GEA compound at Golden Fleece. This newspaper was told that this businessman owns a gas station.
