By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News|
FRIENDSHIP, EAST BANK DEMERARA — In a dramatic escalation of one of Guyana’s most high-profile cold cases, ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday executed a magistrate-approved search warrant at a Friendship, East Bank Demerara property owned by businessman and Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed.
The raid forms part of an intensified, multi-agency push into the March 2021 execution-style murder of Ricardo “Paper Shorts” Fagundes outside a popular Main Street, Georgetown nightclub. The search occurred while Mohamed was away in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), where he was providing material support and assisting families impacted by the fatal capsizing of the M.V. Barima.
Tensions High as Family Live-Streams Police Operation
According to an official statement issued by the Guyana Police Force, the search warrant was issued by a sitting Magistrate after senior investigators presented new information and sought formal legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). While police communications refrained from explicitly naming Mohamed in their initial release, the Opposition Leader’s family immediately confirmed ownership of the Friendship estate.
Mohamed’s sister, Hana Mohamed, broadcast the entire police raid live on social media, vehemently condemning the action and calling it a coordinated political distraction while her brother was actively deployed in humanitarian rescue operations on the Essequibo Coast.
[ FAGUNDES MURDER INVESTIGATION TIMELINE ]
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MARCH 2021 JULY 2026
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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[ Main Street Execution ] [ Friendship Raid & Arrests ]
- Ricardo "Paper Shorts" Fagundes gunned down - Search warrant executed at Mohamed property
- AK-47 shell casings recovered at scene - Multiple suspects detained under new leads
- Unresolved cold case for over 5 years - Clashing political & legal narratives
Political Retaliation Claims vs. Official Law Enforcement Directives
The search comes on the heels of a series of detentions and interrogations as police pursue fresh leads in the five-year-old homicide case:
- Allegations of Political Motivation: Azruddin Mohamed has repeatedly maintained that the renewed focus on his family and associates is politically weaponized retaliation, linked to recent opposition demands for a forensic audit into President Irfaan Ali’s multi-billion-dollar private agricultural ranch along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
- Law Enforcement Stance: The Guyana Police Force has firmly rejected claims of political targeting, asserting that all search warrants, detentions, and forensic checks are strictly evidence-driven, lawful steps guided by judicial oversight.
“Our presence at the property was fully authorized under a warrant issued by a competent judicial authority,” a senior police source confirmed. “This is an active criminal investigation into a high-profile homicide. The law applies equally, regardless of an individual’s political standing or current activities.”
As forensic ranks wrapped up their search of the Friendship compound, police confirmed that the seized items and documentation remain under active technical review, with further statements expected as the Fagundes murder inquiry continues to unfold.
