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Tricksters preying on Brazilian miners in City

Feb 24, 2013 News

 

– Brazilian association wants Gov’t to arrest situation

 

Foreign nationals, particularly Brazilians in Guyana, are being hoodwinked by persons purporting to be Immigration Officers. Those who fall prey sometimes see themselves before the Courts, says Antonio Szala, of the Brazilian Mining and General Association.

The association is requesting that Government arrest this unfavourable situation that is frustrating Brazilian miners who are investing heavily in Guyana’s economy. Cognizant that some Brazilians may cross the border without requisite documentation, Szala said that there are legitimate cases where Brazilians are conned into believing that their passports need to be stamped.

Dr. Roger Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, in a brief interview with this publication acknowledged this situation and said that it is Guyanese who are targeting the foreigners. He is unaware if there is a dedicated unit dealing with this “bondage” encountered by foreigners.

Dr. Luncheon painted the situation as one of confidence tricksters providing illegal stamps and forged documents to target foreigners. He said that a lot of people are sneaking into the country illegally and that makes them vulnerable. They are willing to do anything, even pay large sums, to regularize their status, he added.

However, Szala is painting another picture. He said that three known individuals- a former policeman, a former Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Officer, and another man- are purporting to be Immigration Officers harassing Brazilians.

According to Szala, a Brazilian national who came into Guyana legally was in Georgetown when one of the three men approached him requesting his passport. The man using a badge purported to be an Immigration Officer. The Brazilian presented the passport and was informed that he needed to have his passport stamped and would need to pay a fee of $40,000.

The Brazilian national complied and ended up in jail when the real Immigration Officers at Ogle International Airport saw the forged stamps. Szala related that the Brazilian was convinced that the stamp was legitimate since the fraudster took him to an Office and stamped his passport.

Szala emphasized that this is not the only trouble Brazilian nationals face in Guyana. He said those involved in Guyana’s mining sector are being harassed by ranks of the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force in mining areas and in the City.

An Officer and four other Ranks of the Guyana Defence Force were detained in relation to their alleged involvement in criminal conduct, reportedly committed in the Cuyuni mining district recently.

A gang of heavily armed rogue soldiers had swooped down on the mining community of Devil’s Hole in the Cuyuni and beat and robbed several miners of a large quantity of raw gold, using the uniform of the state as a cover for their nefarious activity.

A miner had related that the soldiers became even more determined to carry out their mission, and they managed to force the owner of an all-terrain vehicle to transport them to an area where several Brazilian mining operations are taking place. There they allegedly relieved several camps of raw gold before making their way back to their camp.

Meanwhile, last year a Brazilian national was harassed by two ranks. When he went to the Alberttown Police Station, Georgetown, to file a complaint he saw the two ranks in the station. The ranks were apprehended and put before the Court.

According to Szala, Brazilians are being preyed on by these law enforcement officers. The assumption is that Brazilians have money but they are hard working just like Guyanese and should not be subjected to “shake down”.

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