‘TERROR CREW’ REMANDED

Nov 06, 2025 News

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– Prosecutors say suspects formed part of a well-coordinated terror cell

…alleged bomb planter Daniel Poedemo seen as mastermind 

(Kaieteur News) – Four Venezuelans and three Guyanese were remanded to prison on Wednesday, following their appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for the deadly October 26 bombing of the Mobil Gas Station on Regent Street, Georgetown.

The prosecution outlined that all the suspects acted in alliance with the main suspect, 33-year-old Venezuelan Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, who was identified as the primary orchestrator of the attack. The other six individuals were either aware of the plan, aided Poedemo, or assisted in transporting him.

The accused are: Wayne Correia, 44, Guyanese; Ramesh Pramdeo, 51, Guyanese; Krystal LaCruz, 33, Guyanese; Jennifer Rodriguez, 33, Venezuelan; Johnny Boodram, 27, Venezuelan; and Alexander Bettancourt, 44, Venezuelan. They appeared in court on the same day, but their hearings were conducted at different locations. Poedemo, Bettancourt, LaCruz, and Boodram’s case was heard before Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown District Court, while the cases of Rodriguez, Corriea, and Pramdeo were heard virtually at the Leonora Magistrates’ Court by Magistrate Alicia George.

Poedemo faced a separate charge. He was accused of committing an act of terrorism on October 26, with intent to threaten the sovereignty and security of Guyana or strike terror to the people by using an explosive substance by placing it at the mobile fuel station on Regent and King Streets, Lacytown, Georgetown, which caused the death of six-year-old Soraya Bourne.  He was not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge.

 

Meanwhile, Bettancourt, LaCruz, and Boodram were jointly charged with aiding and abetting Poedemo in carrying out the bombing.  They were also not required to enter a plea. All were unrepresented except Boodram.

Boodram’s attorney, Mikel Puran, argued that his client, a taxi driver, had no knowledge of the bombing and was merely hired by LaCruz to drive her and two Venezuelan men to Georgetown. Pooran claimed that Boodram was innocent and that his arrest was an abuse of the judicial process, as police had not followed proper procedures. “It is an abuse to bring him before the court and he has no knowledge,” Pooran stated.

Nevertheless, the prosecution opposed to bail on grounds of public interest and safety to the public. The four accused were remanded and scheduled to return on November 12, for further proceedings.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez, Correia, and Pramdeo were jointly charged with aiding and abetting Poedemo between October 24 and 29 at East Bank Essequibo. They were alleged to have assisted in the bombing, although their lawyers denied any involvement.

Attorney Bernard Da Silva, representing the two Guyanese nationals, Correia and Pramdeo, argued that his clients had no connection to the bombing. Da Silva explained that Correia, a taxi driver, was in Pomeroon at the time, and had made a phone call to Pramdeo, asking him to transport two Venezuelans, who were known to them as gold miners, to a hotel in Essequibo and leaving them. He said Pramdeo was not involved in the bombing and had no knowledge of the suspects’ intentions. “He was not the taxi driver that brought the Venezuelans to Georgetown. He was nowhere around the area where the explosion took place. They had no agreement to assist in any way with the explosion,” Da Silva stated.  The lawyer argued that both of his clients had no prior antecedents and are not flight risks.

However, the prosecution countered Da Silva’s claims, stating that the accused were aware of the plan, including communications between Poedemo and LaCruz after the bombing. The prosecutor argued that, following the bombing, the main suspect contacted LaCruz, who is in a relationship with him. LaCruz then picked him up and drove him to her home before taking him to Rodriguez’s residence. During this time, Poedemo used LaCruz’s phone to contact individuals in Venezuela, asking for money. After dropping Poedemo off at Rodriguez’s home, LaCruz left and returned to work.

The prosecutor also mentioned a boat used to transport Poedemo, which had allegedly been sold to one of Da Silva’s clients. The prosecution also strongly objected to bail citing the seriousness of the offence, the penalties attached to the offence and the interest of national security.

In response to the gravity of the charges, Magistrate George emphasised the seriousness of the offence and the need for national security. All three accused were remanded, and their next court date was set for November 24.

Meanwhile, Da Silva speaking with the media, emphasised his stance with the terrorism act. “I condemn in the strongest possible form the act of the bombing. I will not represent anyone who would have committed the act of terrorism against the state of Guyana.”

Last week, additional details from the investigation from the Guyana Police Force revealed that the suspects had entered Guyana illegally via a backtrack route in the Pomeroon River before traveling to Parika, East Bank Essequibo, and eventually to Georgetown. Police also discovered that two of the Venezuelan suspects had used a visit to a KFC restaurant as cover to conduct surveillance on the gas station before carrying out the attack. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that Poedemo and his accomplice had links to a gang in Venezuela, known as “R,” which has ties to the notorious Sindicato gang, responsible for violent cross-border crimes. While the motive behind the bombing remains unclear, investigators have not ruled out the possibility of organized transnational criminal activity being involved.

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• bombing, Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, Johnny Boodram, Krystal LaCruz, Mobil Gas Station, Venezuelans

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