Female attempted to smuggle 67 ounces of gold
A woman who had over 60 ounces of gold in her possession is in deep trouble now. A woman was arrested Wednesday with over 67 ounces of undeclared gold at the CJIA. She was arrested at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, East Bank Demerara on Wednesday night. During routine security checks, officials discovered the raw gold on her. It was undeclared. She was detained and later handed over to the police’s Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU). Investigators determined that the gold was 67.5 ounces. Head of SOCU, Sydney James, confirmed that the woman was headed to the US when she was detained. She has given a statement and the file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. More than likely the woman would be charged under the Gold Board Act, which has tough punishment for smuggling and undeclared gold. The woman would likely be placed on bail until the file is returned to SOCU from DPP. It is not the first time that persons have attempted to smuggle gold through the airport. For years now, passengers have been wearing gold chains in plain sight and hiding raw gold in suitcases to travel especially to North America.
In the last five years or so especially, there was a reported organized smuggling racket involving Customs officers and persons involved in the gold industry. With Guyana charging up to seven percent in royalties and taxes, smugglers have capitalized on countries like Suriname and the US where the royalties and taxes are much lower. Shortly after taking office in May 2015, the Coalition Government confirmed that a major probe was underway into gold smuggling. A significant amount of gold was making its way to Suriname, Brazil and the US. At the airport, fake and recycled Customs and other documents were being used to take the gold out undetected, with the collusion of officials there. In 2015, Government disclosed that the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been providing information of persons in Guyana who took gold to the US. It was found that while the gold was not being declared here, or was declared in smaller quantities, that the smugglers had to declare it in New York.
(Kaieteurnews.com)