$1.6M theft at BJ Demerara River Bridge

Vagrant gets 12 months for theft; businessman granted bail for purchasing stolen articles

Days after he was arrested in connection with the stolen copper cables from the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara Harbour Bridge (BJDHB), 39-year-old Roy Morgan, unemployed and of no fixed place of abode, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.
Morgan was arrested on Wednesday and appeared before Magistrate Dylon Bess at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where the charge was read to him. He reportedly pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.
In addition, Mustafid Pashaw, also called “Mustaf”, 51, a businessman of the Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was charged and granted bail for receiving stolen articles, namely two pieces of copper cable from the BJDRB.

He appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, where the indictable charge was read to him. He was not required to plead and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $300,000.
As conditions for bail, he is required to report to the Ruimveldt Police Station on the third Friday of every month until the determination of the matter. He will make his next court appearance on October 2, 2026.
It was reported that hours after the Guyana Police Force launched an investigation into a $1.6 million copper cable theft at the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, detectives descended on a house in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, which led to the arrest of Pashaw, who allegedly purchased the stolen cables.
The businessman, who operates out of Lot 93 Sussex Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, was detained following the arrest and confession of Morgan on the bridge with cutting equipment.
Following his arrest, Morgan admitted to stealing and selling the copper cable for $15,000 to purchase food and drugs. This was confirmed by the businessman, who admitted that he had indeed purchased 30 pounds of copper from the suspect but could not recall the description and, moreover, made no attempt to find out where he had acquired it.
Some 90 feet of 4/350 KCMIL copper cable, valued at approximately $1.6 million, was reportedly stolen from the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge, Providence, EBD.
The theft reportedly occurred sometime between 00:00h on August 23, 2026, and 09:00h on September 1, 2026.
Police investigations revealed that the bridge, which is equipped with LED lights attached to steel poles along its high span, is powered by a generator beneath the bridge. The lights are used to display various colours and, according to the Police, were last operated on August 23, 2026.
However, at about 18:30h on August 31, 2026, an electrical maintenance engineer attempted to illuminate the bridge in the colours of Trinidad and Tobago’s national flag in observance of that country’s independence anniversary, but only the lights on the northern side were functioning.
The engineer and his team inspected the southern side of the bridge the following day, when it was discovered that the copper cables had been cut and removed from the metal trunking box.
As such, the matter was reported to the Providence Police Station, which led to a full-scale investigation, thus leading to the arrest and prosecution of the two men.