Four more foreign nationals have been detained as authorities expand an operation against illegal mining in the Potaro Mining District, bringing the total number held to nine.

The Ministry of Natural Resources said the additional suspects were apprehended after five foreign nationals, including Venezuelans, were detained during the initial operation on September 10.

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s Corps of Wardens also discovered excavators and trucks that had been concealed in the surrounding jungle.

Dredges, generators, water pumps, metal detectors and other mining equipment were also seized.

The ministry did not disclose the nationalities of the four additional detainees or the precise location where they were found.

It also did not reveal who owns the seized machinery, its estimated value or the scale of the mining operation.

The ministry said all non-nationals previously apprehended for involvement in illegal mining were being deported.

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and law enforcement agencies said surveillance and enforcement activities would continue across the country’s mining districts.