Even as controversy persists over the extent to which gold mined in Guyana is smuggled abroad through neighbouring countries, figures recently compiled by the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) indicate that gold declaration for January this year reached 94.6 per cent of what was officially projected. Against the backdrop of skepticism expressed by mining sector officials as to whether the figure released by the GGMC matches actual gold production for the period, the state-run mining administration body has released a declaration figure of 35,947.14 ounces for January this year.
In January, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Raphael Trotman had raised eyebrows when he announced that approximately 15,000 ounces of gold are being smuggled out of Guyana weekly, a figure that could represent up to 60 per cent of the country’s overall gold production. Trotman said then that the gold was being moved illegally to Brazil and Suriname then through airports in North America and Europe to locations as far as the Middle East.
Trotman had provided the figure in response to a question raised by the Stabroek News at a press conference earlier this year, though the body representing some miners in the sector had subsequently dismissed that figure as “ridiculous.” The Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) had conceded that smuggling is occurring but had said that it had found it difficult
