Quantity of GEA fuel markers stolen

Unknown persons broke into a container in the compound of the Guyana Energy Agency’s (GEA) Quamina Street headquarters and stole three barrels of fuel markers.

The breakage was discovered on Saturday morning when employees went to get some of the domestic marker concentrate used to mark fuel.

Efforts to contact GEA head Mahender Sharma were futile but Crime Chief Seelall Persaud confirmed the incident yesterday afternoon.

Persaud told Stabroek News that investigators are in possession of camera footage to aid in their investigation. He said no one was in police custody up to yesterday morning. It is unclear if any arrests were made after then.  He said that a padlock securing the door of the container was cut.

A source said the security cameras were disabled and the guards on duty claimed they did not see or hear anything.

On September 30 last around 3 am, four masked gunmen stormed the GEA compound tied up two female guards and escaped with barrels of fuel markers.

Police reviewed the footage from security cameras to help track down the perpetrators but according to reports the images were blurred. The GEA had said in a statement that the gunmen entered the compound and subdued the guards with handguns.

They then cut the locks on one of four 20 ft containers in the compound and later left with “two cans of the domestic marker concentrate used to mark fuel.” Following the theft, the composition of fuel marker concentrate was modified to detect any unauthorized use.

Two months later the stolen markers were discovered at a Ruimveldt fish processing plant by police.