By: Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
Several senior employees of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) have been arrested and remain in custody as investigators intensify a sweeping probe into what authorities believe is a multi-billion-dollar tax evasion scheme linked to the importation of luxury motor vehicles.
The investigation, operating under Operation Project Myra, centres on allegations of large-scale under-declaration of imported vehicles and the systematic evasion of customs duties and taxes. HGPTV Nightly News first broke the story and has continued to track developments as the probe deepens.
At least eight GRA officers have been detained so far, with senior officials describing the case as one involving entrenched collusion within the country’s tax and customs system. Sources close to the investigation say the misconduct appears to be coordinated across multiple departments of the revenue agency.
According to information published by DemeraraWaves.com, preliminary findings suggest collaboration between customs officers and licence revenue officers, raising serious concerns about internal controls, oversight failures, and abuse of authority within the GRA.
Investigators are reportedly focusing on vehicles imported by the well-known agency BM Soat, which has once again emerged as a central figure in the unfolding probe. While authorities are still working to quantify the total losses, the alleged under-declarations and falsified documentation are believed to have resulted in the evasion of millions—possibly billions—of dollars in revenue.
Earlier this year, BM Soat paid more than GY$220 million to the GRA in connection with declarations alleged to have been false. Despite that payment, the company remains a key subject of interest, particularly as it continues to face pending court matters.
Operation Project Myra has sent shockwaves through the revenue and law-enforcement landscape, with multiple arrests and expanding lines of inquiry signalling a sustained crackdown on corruption, fraud, and organised collusion within the vehicle importation sector.
Authorities have indicated that further arrests are possible as the investigation continues. Local law-enforcement agencies are working in collaboration with international partners, including the FBI, Canada Border Services Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, in what is shaping up to be one of the most far-reaching internal revenue scandals in recent years.
