By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
The gold mining sector in Guyana has once again come under intense scrutiny from United States law enforcement, this time featuring prominently in the 2025 United States International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR). According to the report, gold smuggling in Guyana is being used as a means to facilitate money laundering, with criminals disguising illicit funds through the sale of illegal gold, thereby bypassing regulatory oversight.
The report revealed that within the mining sector, money laundering schemes are often executed through:
- Large cash deposits made from questionable sources
- Forged agreements of sale for non-existent or overstated quantities of precious minerals
- Cross-border movement of undeclared or concealed gold to avoid taxes and duties
While HGP Nightly News has consistently reported on gold smuggling issues, the government appears to be acknowledging the severity of the problem only now. At a recent press conference, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo admitted the government is aware of suspicious exports of gold from Marudi Mountain, and stated that intelligence-led operations are currently underway:
“We heard about the illegal export of gold from Marudi Mountain… There are several intelligence operations being done that hopefully would yield results,” the Vice President said.
Nightly News investigations have shown that Venezuelan gold may be entering Guyana’s formal gold supply chain, though the extent of this infiltration remains unclear. Sources in the sector suggest that cross-border activity creates a hybrid product, with smuggled Venezuelan gold being mixed, refined, and sold to the Guyana Gold Board or exported—often destined for repositories in the Middle East.
The development comes amid growing international pressure for Guyana to tighten its oversight of extractive industries and strengthen anti-money laundering frameworks, especially as the country ramps up oil production and expands global trade ties.
