Foreign National Faces Charges After 33 Rifles Found at Georgetown Port

Authorities in Guyana have charged a Venezuelan individual following the interception of dozens of assault rifles that made their way into the country via official shipping channels.

Foreign National Faces Charges After 33 Rifles Found at Georgetown Port

Guyanese authorities have filed charges against a Venezuelan individual after uncovering a shipment of 33 assault rifles that had passed through the nation's official maritime port facilities in Georgetown, Kaieteur News reports.

Captain Gerry Gouveia, who serves as National Security Advisor, defended the performance of police and security services. He characterized the arms recovery as proof of effective operations, arguing officers stopped the firearms from reaching buyers and being deployed against the population. Gouveia insisted the episode showed agencies can spot and break up unlawful activity, not that they are overwhelmed by it.

Personnel are now tracing where the weapons came from, who was meant to collect them, and which criminal groups orchestrated the shipment. Gouveia said the probe commands top priority and any weak points uncovered will be reinforced.

Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrund, speaking at a regional port control gathering, disclosed plans for a fresh Container Control Programme aimed at catching contraband before it clears customs. She framed maritime oversight as an integrated responsibility cutting across multiple government bodies rather than a narrow administrative task.

Paul Slowe, previously an Assistant Police Commissioner, painted a far more troubling picture. In his view, the sheer number of rifles recovered, combined with the fact that markings on 32 of them had been scratched away to hide their provenance, signals an advanced criminal operation with the capacity to undermine state authority.

Slowe warned that no one knows if additional batches have slipped through undetected. He raised the possibility these arms were merely passing through Guyana toward another destination, or alternatively were slated for use inside the country. Either way, he argued, such a cache far exceeds what petty offenders would require.

The former senior officer declared the situation has escalated beyond ordinary policing into the realm of national security. He estimated the find could equip more than thirty operatives, implying the existence of a structured organization rather than scattered criminals.

Slowe took issue with descriptions of the operation as intelligence-driven, noting the rifles arrived through regular wharves without being spotted initially. He placed blame at the entry points and asked how many earlier consignments might have gone unnoticed. He also called for scrutiny of whether officials facilitated the trafficking.

According to Slowe, the security framework has not adapted to Guyana's fast-changing economy and growing foreign population. To dismantle the ring, he advised bringing in outside expertise from American federal agencies, Interpol, and other international partners. Specialists could employ sophisticated techniques to recover erased serial numbers and follow the trail back to U.S. manufacturers.

While conceding frontline units may need better preparation, Slowe noted government forces still maintain superior armament compared to domestic criminal elements.

Source: Kaieteur News