By| Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News|
TWO CUBAN NATIONALS REMANDED FOLLOWING ALLEGED STAGED KIDNAPPING AND EXTORTION PLOT
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — A bizarre plot to extract ransom money from a relative overseas has landed two Cuban nationals behind bars after Guyana Police Force investigators exposed what they believe was a completely fabricated abduction.
Daikul Tarbal Rodriguez, a laborer residing at Fourth Grove, East Bank Demerara, and Iban Martinez, of North Road, Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Monday. Both men were formally charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, a violation instituted under Section 33 of the Criminal Law Offences Act, Chapter 8:01.
The defendants were not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge. Magistrate Azore remanded both men to prison until June 22, 2026, pending their next court appearance.
The criminal charges stem from an intensive investigation that began on June 3, 2026, when local authorities received a report alleging that Martinez had been violently abducted and was being held against his will. The alarm was initially raised by a fellow Cuban national, who informed police that captors had issued a ransom demand for Martinez’s safe release.
According to detectives, a photograph was sent to Martinez’s father, who resides in the United States, showing his son apparently being held at gunpoint in the backseat of a vehicle. The image was accompanied by a demand for US$1,500.
However, the extortion scheme quickly unraveled as Major Crimes Unit detectives reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance footage from a hotel on North Road. Through digital tracking, investigators successfully mapped Martinez’s movements to Grove on the East Bank of Demerara.
Ranks subsequently intercepted a vehicle containing Martinez and several other individuals. A thorough search of the automobile uncovered an air pistol. Investigators noted that the weapon precisely matched the firearm displayed in the hostage photograph sent to the father in the United States.
Faced with mounting evidence, investigators uncovered numerous inconsistencies during consecutive interviews with the suspects. Police ultimately concluded that the kidnapping was entirely staged to extort the family member.
The two men were arrested on June 3 and formally charged on June 8. The Guyana Police Force has indicated that investigations remain active.
