A Joint Operation conducted by the Guyana Defence Force in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) earlier this week found a massive tunnel mining operation in the New River Basin some 50 miles east of Masakenari (Gunns Village), South Rupununi.
The team, a release from the GDF said, located the camp and discovered three tunnels, one of which was abandoned, while the remainder were deemed active. The team also found several pieces of equipment including a satellite dish. No one was found at the camp.
Due to the remoteness of the location, seizure of the equipment was not feasible, so they were subsequently destroyed, the release added.
Investigators believe that the persons who were undertaking mining operations may have been utilising an illegal airstrip in Brazil, located some two miles south of the Guyana/Brazil border.
The New River Basin is designated a Rare Earth Mineral Reserve and as such, mining is strictly prohibited in the area, the release noted.