By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News|
SCHOONORD, GUYANA — High-profile Georgetown businessman Randy Jagdeo has been released from police custody after securing $500,000 station bail. The release comes amid intense interrogation by the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding his alleged ties to the historic seizure of 23 military-grade AK-47 assault rifles and over 500 rounds of ammunition at Schoonord, West Bank Demerara.
Jagdeo, 39, surrendered to police at the CID Headquarters in Eve Leary on June 14, 2026, accompanied by his defense counsel, hours after senior detectives issued a public wanted bulletin for him and co-suspect Orlando Gabriel. Gabriel remains on the run and is actively sought by law enforcement ranks.
The weapons cache was intercepted on June 11 during a high-stakes, joint intelligence operation spearheaded by the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) along the West Bank Demerara corridor. Ranks intercepted a private vehicle and arrested a 28-year-old Venezuelan national, Jonathan Gans, of Grove, East Bank Demerara, who has since been formally arraigned in court for unlawful possession of firearms and matching ammunition. Ranks confirmed that while Gans was apprehended on-site, two other male suspects managed to evade the tactical dragnet, triggering the subsequent hunt for Jagdeo and Gabriel.
Crime Chief and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Wendell Blanhum, confirmed that ballistic testing and forensic evaluations revealed all 23 assault rifles were manufactured in the United States. Furthermore, investigators disclosed that the serial number on only one rifle remained completely intact, while the identifying factory stamps on the remaining 22 weapons had been meticulously obliterated using heavy industrial tools to impede cross-border trafficking tracing.
Speaking out immediately following his release on station bail, Jagdeo vehemently maintained his innocence, claiming he is completely detached from the weapon smuggling operation and accusing state investigators of targeted victimization.
“I have absolutely no connection to these weapons, and I have done nothing wrong,” Jagdeo insisted, claiming his commercial reputation is being unfairly dragged through the mud.
This major firearms bust marks the second massive discovery of high-powered assault rifles within a narrow 21-day window, following the recovery of 10 plastic-wrapped AK-47 rifles along the No. 11 Village Public Road in Berbice on May 22. The sudden influx of American-made military hardware has sparked intense national security alarms, with the political opposition demanding full disclosure from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding active arms-trafficking corridors.
While Jagdeo remains out on substantial bail, police are urging anyone with definitive information regarding the whereabouts of co-suspect Orlando Gabriel to immediately contact emergency numbers 911, 227-1611, or report to the nearest police station as transnational anti-smuggling investigations continue.
