US$11.5M in gold grabbed in Curacao

– off fishing boat from Guyana

Thieves yesterday stole 70 bars of gold worth an estimated US$11.5 million ($2.3 billion) from a fishing boat moored off the Caribbean island of Curacao, which had been shipped from Guyana, news reports said.

While gold from Guyana is usually exported via air, given the rapid fluctuation of prices for the precious mineral, officials on the island are reported to have said that the shipment was legal and it was being trans-shipped through Curacao. Administrative coordinator of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association Colin Sparman told Stabroek News that he had heard of the heist but up to late yesterday had not confirmed the news.

He questioned the legality of the shipment stating that all gold exports from Guyana leave by air given the rapid fluctuation of gold prices. He noted that it