The police and the government have signalled that progress is being made in dismantling a network of Chinese smuggling gold from Guyana to Suriname.
Of the three Chinese nationals who were held at a city hotel on July 9 in a gold smuggling probe, Ying Xin Su, the 30-year-old female has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition while the two men are being investigated by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
Another woman has been charged with overstaying her time in the country and is also a part of the wider probe.
Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News last evening that while Su was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, the two men are being investigated by SOCU for gold smuggling.
Zhong Jin Ziang, a 34-year-old female of Chinese descent and a Customer Representative at Muneshwers Travel Service, was charged on Thursday with the offence of overstaying. She was arrested on 2024/07/15 during the course of an investigation into a major money laundering and gold smuggling operation in Guyana.
It was alleged that on July 9, Su had in her possession, one 9mm Glock pistol and 14 matching rounds of 9mm ammunition. Su pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The prosecutor objected to bail citing the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, noting that the firearm was found concealed.
Head of the Guyana Police Force Corporate Communications Unit, Mark Ramotar, confirmed that information was received that Su is allegedly involved in trafficking in persons. It is also alleged that the process is being facilitated through the Lethem, Corentyne, and Suriname, backtrack route.
Ziang was arrested on July 15, during the course of an investigation into the major money laundering and gold smuggling operation in Guyana. She appeared at the Grove/Diamond Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Judy Latchman. She pleaded not guilty and was placed on $60,000 bail. The case was transferred to the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court for August 14.
The charge stemmed from an ongoing investigation by SOCU in relation to money laundering and gold smuggling operations within and out of Guyana, allegedly involving Chinese nationals.
During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Ziang entered Guyana from Suriname on September 7, 2023, and on her arrival at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport Ogle, she was issued a visitor’s visa and granted one month’s stay in the country.
However, she started working at Muneshwers Travel Service and overstayed her time in Guyana, hence the charge. Questions have been raised as to how Chinese nationals are entering the country, remaining for long periods and engaging in a variety of businesses.
Blanhum further confirmed that the wanted bulletin issued by police for Zhenjian Fang, a 44-year-old Chinese national is also in relation to money laundering, gold smuggling and related serious offences in Guyana.
His last known address was given as 47 New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara.
Anyone with information on Fang’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Special Organised Crime Unit on 225-3079 or 225-3084 or the nearest police station.
Busted
During his weekly press conference on Thursday, Vice President (VP), Bharrat Jagdeo, stated that a major gold smuggling ring involving Chinese nationals had been busted by undercover operatives. He said the ring, which had been operating for nearly six months, was accused of buying large quantities of gold and shipping it out of the country.
The VP said that the bust was a significant achievement for the government, but lamented that it did not receive adequate coverage in local newspapers.
“This is a major ring. And… they caught people. It was operating in some of the hotels. They were buying large quantities of gold and shipping this gold out of the country. Wanted bulletins have been issued for many of them. We believe it was a form of money laundering, but also gold smuggling. And the undercover operation has started dealing with the individuals now. And it’s a major, major, operation that has gone on for nearly six months. But it goes without much notice in the newspapers,” he said.
The police provided very little information on the arrests and the media was therefore not in a position to provide expansive coverage. The government has come under increasing pressure to do something about gold smuggling which has been rampant for years and which recently attracted US Department of the Treasury sanctions against two dealers, Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed.
Jagdeo also took aim at international criticisms of his government, accusing certain diplomats who he did not name of spreading false information and using scripted talking points to criticise Guyana’s approach to corruption and procurement.
“They go with these talking points… A lot of what is submitted a lot of false information.”
The VP also addressed allegations that his government was linked to drug dealers and money laundering, citing a US report from 2015 that claimed Guyana had given large tracts of forest land to a known drug dealer. He disputed the report, saying that it was not true and that the government was being “vilified” by someone within the opposition.
“They complain, ‘Oh, the PPP is linked up with drug dealers.’ That’s one. Well, they did that in the period running up to 2015 that we’re in the pockets of the drug dealers. So much so that a US report came out that we had given Roger Khan a tract of forest land as a government and it was in one of the US Drug Reports. We were surprised as to where this came from. So, we asked the US government, we said ‘it’s not true. You should correct the report.’ And they said ‘well, the report is out. It’s hard to correct.’ And guess how we found out who told them this. You had WikiLeaks and then the cables and the correspondents from the embassy here up to Washington named the individual who told them this and guess who he was? One of the PNC/R members. That is what they were doing; lying, vilifying the government quietly so that it will get into the US circuits… [it] was not true, [it] was a lie, blatant lie,” Jagdeo asserted.
