Extortion at legal/illegal checkpoints along Cuyuni River

Small business operators are calling on the Guyanese authorities to investigate a practice of extortion, robbery, threats, and harassment by Venezuelan soldiers, syndicato, guerrilla gangs, and Guyanese police and soldiers.

Commodities that are purchased to retail in communities along the Cuyuni River are taken away by the above-mentioned groups, some operating at legal checkpoints while others are doing it at illegal checkpoints. Multiple sources reached out to BIG Smith News Watch to raise the issue.

Fuel, dry goods and groceries, meat, money, gold, and even beverages are confiscated as a means of payment to pass along the checkpoints manned by the armed forces and other groups along the route.

Heading along the Cuyuni River, the first encounter is the Guyanese police followed by the Guyanese Solider, the Venezuelan soldiers, two syndicato groups, and two Guerrilla groups and there is hardly ever a situation or time when passing those checkpoints are not made to have other items on demand.

In cases where the persons have products and other items, if they are unable to hand over money to the demanding groups, those items are demanding joint services ranks of Venezuelan soldiers and syndicate groups, their products and ration, etc. are taken instead.

There are also claims that guerrilla groups are also along the path harassing persons heading to do business in the riverain communities.

Images of the persons and groups engaging in these unlawful acts are non-existent as even being spotted with a phone or any device with capabilities of taking photos or audio is taken away hence persons usually keep their phones off or in their bags. There was one incident where the phones of everyone on a boat were taken away. Back in December 2021, one group reportedly collected the phones and ran them.

BIG Smith News Watch has been informed that in many cases the persons who are taking things to sell to those parts of the country would usually borrow money to invest and when they go through the things that they have been going through along the Cuyuni River, it brings their business operations to a stand-still.

When it comes to the demand for cash, the groups have been saying that it is only United States Currency that they are accepting.