Seven Remanded Over Gas Station Bombing That Killed 6-Y-O
November 5 2025
Seven people, including the alleged mastermind of last month’s deadly explosion at the Mobil Fuel Station on Regent and King Streets, Georgetown, have been charged with terrorism-related offences and remanded to prison.
The attack, carried out on October 26, killed a six-year-old girl and injured several others. It has been described by authorities as a deliberate attempt to strike fear into the population and undermine national security.
The alleged architect of the bombing, Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, a Venezuelan national, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday.
Prosecutors stated Poedemo led a coordinated group operation that involved both Venezuelan and Guyanese nationals.
The charge alleged that, “with intent to threaten the security and sovereignty of Guyana or to strike terror among its people,” he used an explosive device at the Mobil Fuel Station, resulting in the death of Soraya Bourne.
Poedemo appeared alongside three co-defendants, Alexander Bettancourt, Johnny Boodram, and Krystal LaCruz, before Chief Magistrate (ag) Faith McGusty.
They were not required to plead to the indictable charges. They were remanded to prison until November 12.
According to police investigators, Poedemo entered Guyana illegally from Venezuela around 8:00 a.m. on the day of the bombing, October 26.
Between 11:00h and noon, he and several accomplices allegedly conducted surveillance at the Mobil station before returning later to execute the plan.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured Poedemo attempting to conceal an explosive device inside a garbage bin near the gas cylinder storage area.
When stopped by an employee, he placed the device nearby instead and fled moments before the explosion.
Investigators later discovered images of the explosive device on Poedemo’s phone, as well as clothing believed to have been worn during the attack, at a house in Vergenoegen, Region Three, where he was apprehended.
In court on Wednesday, the police prosecution has accused Krystal LaCruz, who allegedly shared an intimate relationship with Poedemo, of coordinating several of the group’s movements leading up to the attack.
Johnny Boodram, a 27-year-old taxi driver, reportedly transported some of the suspects to the station hours before the blast.
Investigators believe the trip was part of a surveillance exercise. His attorney, Mikel Puran, argued in court that Boodram was hired by LaCruz, one of his regular customers, and he had no knowledge of any criminal plan.
According to the prosecution, Alexander Bettancourt is accused of entering Guyana illegally with Poedemo and assisting him throughout the operation.
While the first four appeared before Magistrate McGusty, three others, Wayne Correia, Ramesh Pramdeo, and Jennifer Rodriguez, appeared virtually before Magistrate Alisha George in Court Six of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Correia, 44, a farmer and part-time mechanic from Pomeroon, and Pramdeo, 51, a taxi driver, were represented by attorney Bernard DaSilva.
The court was told by Da Sliva that Correia is known to Pramdeo. Pramdeo, according to him, was contacted to transport two Venezuelan nationals, including LaCruz, from Parika to a hotel in Meten-Meer-Zorg.
According to police, the trip was paid for in cash, believed to be the proceeds of raw gold that was worth over $600,000. Investigators allege that Pramdeo later transported Bettancourt and Poedemo to meet LaCruz before the bombing.
Jennifer Rodriguez, 33, was also charged with aiding the suspects in their movements prior to the attack.
Acting on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), all three were charged separately and remanded until November 24.
Wednesday’s hearings were held under tight police security. Armed ranks of the Guyana Police Force patrolled the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts compound on foot and in vehicles. Civilians were barred from loitering near the entrance as the accused were escorted to and from court.
The shocking explosion has provoked widespread condemnation and grief. President Dr. Irfaan Ali denounced the bombing as “a vile assault on Guyana,” pledging that justice will be pursued “to the fullest extent of the law.”
Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond echoed that sentiment, stating that the government will seek the death penalty for anyone found guilty under Guyana’s anti-terrorism legislation.
Police investigators have described the bombing as a “planned and coordinated act of terrorism,” emphasizing that the probe remains active as authorities trace possible cross-border links and financing related to the attack.
