The soldier and two security guards accused of carrying out last week’s $58 million gold heist at Wallison Enterprise, in Kitty, were yesterday remanded to prison after being charged with the crime.
Keyon King, 32, of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo, Delroy Jackson, 37, of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, and Peon Lee, called ‘Nino Brown,’ 35, of Mocha, East Bank Demerara, were brought before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus in Georgetown to face four joint charges.
King is a Sergeant in the Guyana Defence Force, while Jackson and Lee are guards at Wallison Enterprise.
It is alleged that on August 5, the three men, while being armed with guns and in the company of each other and others, robbed gold trader Francis Santos Lumes of $38 million in cash and 60 ounces of gold valued at $20 million.
Additionally, they faced charges that they robbed Lumes of a total of $224,000 in cash and jewellery; that they robbed cashier Fernanda Carmichael of an iPhone worth $350,000 and that they robbed goldsmith William Batista DaSilva of a phone valued at $60,000.
After the charges were read, the unrepresented King initially pleaded guilty to robbing Lumes of the $58 million in cash and gold, while denying the other three charges. However, when he was due to be sentenced after an adjournment, King changed his plea. The father of two told the magistrate he wished to change his plea because he was unrepresented and added that he was not thinking clearly at the time when he offered the guilty plea, due to him not having any knowledge about attending court prior to his hearing yesterday.
Meanwhile, attorneys Dexter Todd and Dexter Smartt represented Jackson, while attorney Jacy Archibald represented Lee. Jackson and Lee both pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
They were all subsequently remanded to prison until August 24, 2021, when their next hearing is slated.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News on Monday that the police are still on the hunt for two other suspects.
Investigators probing the robbery made a breakthrough in the case on Sunday following the discovery of some $18 million in cash, which was found buried at the Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) home of King.
Three bandits entered Wallison Enterprise at Lot 23 Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown, around 10.05 am last Thursday. Police had said that the bandits, who wore masks and hats to hide their identities, entered the compound under the pretense of going to sell gold. Once inside the building, they held two employees, a 20-year-old female cashier and a 45-year-old goldsmith, at gunpoint and ordered them to the safe which contained the valuables.
During the investigation, Blanhum told this newspaper, it was revealed that Lee, who was employed as the Chief Security Officer of Wallison Enterprise, purportedly orchestrated the robbery. He is alleged to have contacted King and told him of the plot to commit the crime. Lee then allegedly put King in contact with Jackson.
According to Blanhum, it was Jackson, who was allegedly channeling information to his accomplices as to when they should carry out the crime.
Acting on information, Blanhum said, investigators went to King’s Vergenoegen house, where a search uncovered cash buried in the backyard.
