GEORGETOWN – The courtroom at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court was tense on Monday as the extradition case against businessmen Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed, the powerful father-and-son duo behind Mohamed’s Enterprise, took a dramatic turn. Prosecutors unveiled a trove of official U.S. documents, signalling that the United States government is tightening its grip in its bid to bring the men to trial on sweeping financial crime charges.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, the prosecution disclosed a diplomatic note, an authenticated statement from the U.S. Secretary of State, and signed arrest warrants for both Nazar and Azruddin. The documents, prosecutors said, prove the legitimacy of Washington’s extradition request and confirm full compliance with the treaty obligations between Guyana and the United States, which remain active under the Fugitives Offenders Act.
Both men, who remain on $150,000 bail each, listened as the court was told that the U.S. evidence was part of a “comprehensive case file” detailing their alleged involvement in one of the region’s biggest gold smuggling and tax evasion schemes. Their defence team was handed copies of the documents to review ahead of the next hearing, scheduled for November 24, 2025, when the court will decide whether a prima facie case has been made to proceed with extradition.
The hearing comes less than a week after the U.S. government formally requested the men’s extradition, citing a grand jury indictment unsealed on October 6, 2025, in the Southern District of Florida. That indictment accuses the Mohameds of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, aiding and abetting, and a series of customs-related offences tied to a US$50 million gold export racket.
According to the U.S. indictment, between 2017 and June 2024, the Mohameds allegedly defrauded the Government of Guyana by evading export taxes and royalties on over 10,000 kilograms of gold, using falsified customs forms and re-used export seals to conceal unpaid duties. The case also cites the attempted shipment of US$5.3 million in undeclared gold seized at Miami International Airport, as well as the under-invoicing of a luxury vehicle worth more than US$680,000.
The Attorney General’s Chambers confirmed that the extradition proceedings began after a team of attorneys, King’s Counsel Terrence Williams, Herbert McKenzie, and Celine Deidrick, presented an Authority to Proceed from the Government of Guyana, along with the U.S. documentation and warrants.For the Mohameds, both of whom are already under U.S. sanctions for alleged corruption and financial crimes, this case marks a new and perilous chapter.
What began as tax and customs violations has now escalated into a full-fledged international legal showdown that could see the gold magnates extradited to face trial in the United States.
As the case unfolds, the spectacle surrounding the Mohameds, once celebrated as symbols of business success, now casts a long shadow over Guyana’s gold industry and its fragile fight against corruption. The world will be watching closely on November 24, when the court decides whether the men’s next destination will be Miami or freedom.
