By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
Operation Gold Digger: FBI Probe Links Essequibo Gold Dealer to Global Smuggling Network
A U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe dubbed “Operation Gold Digger” has reportedly identified an Essequibo-based gold dealer with political connections as a key player in an international gold smuggling and money laundering ring. Former Chairman of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) GHK Lall confirmed that while serving between 2017 and 2020, FBI agents held multiple meetings with local authorities, including the Gold Board, and even presented a classified dossier through the U.S. Embassy containing the names of alleged smugglers and criminal collaborators.
Lall revealed that the information did not fully reach the Gold Board during the David Granger administration, despite the seriousness of the allegations. The FBI’s report is said to detail connections between Guyanese nationals and more than 30 individuals in the United States, believed to form part of a sophisticated criminal network.
Another local initiative, “Operation Nimble Mule,” was also launched under the Granger government to target smuggling operations, though Lall said sensitive U.S. intelligence was shared only on a need-to-know basis.
Responding to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent order for police to investigate alleged collusion with the Mohamed family in a separate gold smuggling case, Lall welcomed the move — but insisted that FBI involvement is essential to uncover the full scope of the network.
