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Mining camp attack…Dredge owners say police colluding with perpetrators
– express fear for their lives
Dredge owners, Mario Figuera and his wife, Alisha, have expressed fear for their lives following an attack on their camp by shotgun toting security personnel from another gold mining operation last week.
The mining camp’s terrified workers, who are currently trapped.
The attack, which was partially caught on video, took place at their camp in District H45, Konawaruk, on Sunday, is alleged to have been orchestrated by a rival mining concern, Tesouro Mining Company, on whose land they are prospecting.
The couple says they have no confidence that the police will conduct a professional investigation, since there appears to be collusion between the perpetrators and the police hierarchy.
It is reported that the attack, which left one excavator operator nursing shotgun wounds to the back of the head, arose from a desire to force the Figueras to pack up and leave the location on which their mining operation is taking place.
According to Mario Figuera, at first they were allowed to work on the land, but after rumours
Mario Figuera armed with the injunction confronts one of the gunmen.
started that the land was producing a high quantity of gold, Tesouro became envious and began encroaching on their portion of land.
The distraught man stated that he had secured and served an injunction against Tesouro Mining last week, but on Sunday last, four gun-toting men, wearing uniforms with the Tesouro insignia, invaded his camp.
In the video, viewed by Kaieteur News, Figuera could be seen trying to reason with the lead gunman, showing him the injunction.
Upon noticing that he was being filmed, however, the gunman immediately began cursing the cameraman and raised his shotgun. Figuera immediately stepped in his path, blocking his shot as the cameraman fled.
Stating that they had received orders to “shoot up the entire camp”, it is alleged that the terror squad then roamed throughout the camp, shooting any mining equipment within sight, as the terrified employees sought refuge.
Figuera has placed his losses at in excess of $60M. It was during this fracas that the worker, Ray Murray, an excavator operator, was shot in the back of his head as the men fired at several drums of fuel.
The couple expressed fear for their lives, stating that when it came to police making arrests in the matter, they were dragging out the investigation.
According to them, when the police reached the location, the security guards who carried out the dastardly attack were present in the Tesouro camp.
They are alleging that during initial attempts to apprehend the men, officials in the camp made several calls to Georgetown, with the result that the police abandoned their duties.
Tesouro Resources is owned by a prominent city businessman.
According to the couple, their workers, who are still in the mining camp, are traumatized and fearful for their lives too, since the gunmen have promised to return in three days after their rampage.
Commander of ‘F’ Division, Courtney Ramsey, had a completely different update.
According to him, the police, having arrived at the camp, did not find the suspects there. He stated that his ranks are currently combing the backlands for them.
Meanwhile, the injunction issued by Chief Justice Ian Chang was intended to bar Tesouro from interfering with Figuera mining operations until May 18, the date for a court hearing.
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