Three foreign nationals have been charged and sentenced to prison after being convicted of illegal gold mining in Guyana’s Iwokrama Protected Area, authorities said.
The group — two Brazilian nationals and one Venezuelan national — was arrested on December 10, 2025, during an enforcement operation carried out by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Iwokrama Rangers, and the Guyana Police Force.
They were caught operating illegal mining activities inside the protected forest.
After three months of court hearings and testimony from nine witnesses, the accused changed their plea to guilty on April 16, 2026. They were sentenced under the GGMC Act to five months’ imprisonment each.
Iwokrama International Centre said it welcomed the outcome and expressed gratitude for the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources, GGMC, the Guyana Police Force, the Protected Areas Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency in the enforcement effort.
The Centre also thanked Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Hack and DPP Prosecutor Daniels, saying their role was instrumental in securing the convictions.
Separately, Iwokrama management raised concern over the presence of “draggers” (river dredges) in and around the protected area. One dredge was removed by the GGMC in February from a sensitive zone near communities and tourism areas known for rich aquatic biodiversity.
The Centre also reported that another suspected dredge has been under construction at Kurupukari Landing since January 2026, a non-designated mining landing. Foreign nationals from Brazil without work permits were observed building the structure and were later instructed to stop by the Guyana Police Force Immigration Department in February. They subsequently moved to Chinie Landing, where construction reportedly continued.
Iwokrama further noted another dredge under construction at Chinie Landing by foreign nationals with work permits, who allegedly presented police with maps indicating planned downstream mining along the Essequibo River.
The Centre reiterated that mining is strictly prohibited within the protected forest and its buffer zones, which extend one kilometre inland from surrounding rivers.
It warned that illegal mining threatens ecological integrity, disrupts local livelihoods, and undermines Guyana’s protected areas system and green development agenda, adding that violations will not be tolerated and could jeopardise Iwokrama’s international certification.
