Masked gunmen strike two mining camps in Region Seven, flee with $44M in loot

Four armed robbers in masks targeted two neighbouring gold operations in Sewanda Backdam, escaping with raw gold, jewellery, money, vehicles and supplies worth over $44 million.

Masked gunmen strike two mining camps in Region Seven, flee with $44M in loot

Two Brazilian gold miners lost more than $44 million in valuables when a quartet of masked, firearm-wielding assailants raided their neighbouring worksites in Sewanda Backdam, Region Seven, on Monday, June 15, 2026.

The brazen daylight attack unfolded between mid-morning and late afternoon. Officers in Regional Division Seven are probing the incident, which targeted men aged 50 and 44 who live and labour in the area. Their camps sit about 200 metres apart.

Investigators say the intruders first descended on the younger man's site while he and his team were busy with extraction work. After cornering the workers at gunpoint, the robbers ordered them to carry out the wash-down. They then made away with roughly 15 ounces of unrefined gold, $150,000 in Guyanese currency and a red all-terrain vehicle — goods worth an estimated $15.4 million.

Undeterred, the same group then marched to the second camp. There, they again trained weapons on the occupants and forced the 50-year-old operator and his staff to finish their wash-down. The thieves collected 30 ounces of raw gold, a gold chain weighing 20 pennyweights, a matching 20-pennyweight band, a 6-pennyweight ring, a second red ATV and $300,000 in cash. They also helped themselves to apparel, foodstuffs and networking equipment. Losses at this location were pegged at approximately $29.265 million.

During the ordeal, the elder victim was physically attacked and wounded. The perpetrators later ditched both stolen ATVs close to the Puruni River before vanishing.

Detectives have yet to apprehend anyone in connection with the hold-ups, and the matter remains under active investigation.

Reported by Kaieteur News

Source: Kaieteur News