GEORGETOWN — The investigation into last Sunday’s deadly Mobil Gas Station explosion has taken a chilling turn, with the High Court approving extended detention for eight of the nine suspects initially arrested. The decision comes amid what police describe as “critical new leads” linking the main suspect, Venezuelan national Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo, to one of South America’s most feared criminal syndicates.
Police sources confirmed that Peodomo, who remains in custody, has confessed to planting the explosive device that tore through the Regent and King Streets fuel station, killing six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injuring several others. He has also been positively identified by an eyewitness captured on CCTV, first trying to dispose of two black bags near the gas pumps before being stopped by a pump attendant, and later placing them beside the cooking gas storage area where the bomb was detonated.
Law enforcement officials have since unearthed photographs of Peodomo in Venezuela posing with high-powered rifles, reinforcing suspicions that he is a member of the R-Syndicato gang, a violent network notorious for smuggling, kidnapping, and contract killings across the Venezuelan border.
According to investigators, Peodomo entered Guyana illegally by boat early Sunday morning, carrying the explosive device with him. He traveled to Georgetown later that day, allegedly assisted by a small group of Venezuelan and Guyanese nationals who helped him move around undetected. Those suspected accomplices, a total of nine individuals, remain in custody, though police confirmed that most of the Venezuelans recently detained have been released following questioning.
As the 72-hour legal detention limit expired earlier this week, investigators rushed to court seeking approval to hold the suspects longer, a request the High Court swiftly granted. Police intend to seek further extensions if necessary as the probe deepens. Senior investigators revealed that the case has now attracted international attention, with regional and global law enforcement agencies offering assistance.
Authorities believe Peodomo’s actions may not have been random but part of a wider transnational operation connected to organized crime networks operating along the Guyana–Venezuela corridor.
“This investigation has entered a complex phase,” a senior source close to the case said. “We’re now tracing cross-border movements, phone data, and financial activity to uncover the full picture.”
For now, Peodomo’s confession, the CCTV footage, and the forensic evidence recovered from the blast site have given investigators a strong starting point. But the unanswered question remains, was this a lone act of terror, or the warning shot of something much larger?
