The Guyana Government is preparing to launch its most aggressive crackdown yet on gold smuggling and illegal mining, with President Dr. Irfaan Ali announcing that mining operations producing low or no declarations will soon face cease orders. Operators responsible for damaging riverbanks will also be suspended and have their mining blocks repossessed.
Speaking with the News Room, President Ali said the upcoming measures form part of a new specialised, integrated operations unit—supported by international partners—designed to directly target gold smuggling, illegal mining, and environmental violations.
“These practices are unacceptable,” the President said. “They harm communities, destroy the environment and rob the country of legitimate revenue.”
Under the strengthened enforcement regime, mining operations showing suspiciously low or zero declarations, or those engaged in destructive practices, will be shut down immediately. Their blocks will be returned to the State and operations will not be allowed to resume.
Even as the crackdown escalates, President Ali reiterated that the Government remains committed to supporting small and medium-scale miners who operate within the law. Future assistance—whether technical, financial, or logistical—will be tied to the declarations made to the Guyana Gold Board, aligning incentives with transparency.
The tougher stance builds on a year-long, multi-agency effort to tighten loopholes in the gold export system, strengthen smuggling penalties and improve intelligence gathering. A high-level task force—comprising the Attorney General, the Minister of Finance, the GRA Commissioner General, the FIU, the Central Bank Governor and the Guyana Gold Board—has been reviewing the sector and closing long-standing gaps.
Recent intelligence-led operations have also disrupted several illegal networks, leading to the arrest of multiple foreign nationals in major stings. Officials say these investigations helped expose evolving smuggling tactics and unusual declaration patterns, prompting the President’s latest directive.
