Guyana’s security minister, US Marshals discuss extradition, crime-fighting strategies

Officers of the United States Marshals Service and the US Embassy Regional Security Office on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit on Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn.

Their meeting, held in the ministry’s boardroom, focused on key areas of cooperation, including crime-fighting strategies, extradition processes, and other mutual agreements aimed at strengthening security collaboration between Guyana and the United States.
In a post on the ministry’s social media page, it was stated that discussions underscored the ongoing commitment of both parties to enhancing law enforcement partnerships and addressing regional security concerns.
In July 2024, Guyana passed the Fugitive Offenders (Amendment) Bill which is aimed at ensuring fugitives hiding from the long arm of the law can be brought home to face justice, while at the same time respecting due process.
This was the view expressed by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who presented the bill. The Attorney General made it clear that the bill contains safeguards against being misused, since it allows the local judiciary to satisfy itself that there is evidence for the extradition request. Additionally, the Minister of Home Affairs has the final say on whether to allow the extradition request to proceed, after a committal order is transmitted from the magistrate.
Earlier this month, Guyana extradited Harry Narine Rajkumar to Canada, marking the first-ever extradition between the two nations.
The Home Affairs Ministry confirmed that Rajkumar was sent back to Canada on Thursday to face multiple criminal charges.
Rajkumar was wanted in Canada on serious charges under the Canadian Criminal Code, including attempted murder and aggravated assault specifically within the Ottawa jurisdiction. Authorities had been tracking him since May 2019 after he fled Canadian law enforcement. His capture was made possible through an INTERPOL Red Notice and efforts by the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
Following his arrest, Rajkumar was remanded to prison, and later waived his right to an extradition hearing, opting to return to Canada voluntarily. His extradition was formalised before acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty.
The prosecution team was led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Lisa Cave, along with Ormella Gladstone, Treaty Officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs, and sergeant Stephan Hinds from the Major Crimes Unit, along with other law enforcement officials.
Last month, Government announced that it had extradited Parmanand Singh, a citizen of Guyana, to the United States of America (USA). Singh was wanted in the US in connection with a vehicular fatality, and the Home Affairs Ministry had said that he waived his right to an extradition hearing and consented to return to the USA to address judicial matters related to a fatal vehicular incident.
In September 2024, the Guyana Government received a formal extradition request for Singh from the US Government. Acting on this request, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn signalled Chief Magistrate (ag) Faith McGusty to initiate legal proceedings required for the extradition.
Parmanand Singh was accused of operating a white 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe while his blood-alcohol level exceeded the lawful limit, leading to impaired faculties. He collided head-on with a black Nissan after driving the wrong way, resulting in the death of Sérgio Gadelha.
In August 2024, a five-year search for a driver who fatally struck a 67-year-old man on Christmas in Queens ended with his arrest in Guyana.
WABC reported that police said Ravindra Dharamjit, 26, fled the scene and the country, but was tracked down by detectives in the years following the December 2019 crash. He was arrested by Guyana Police Force (GPF) in August 2024 at a horse racing event, and was extricated.
In May 2023, United States fugitive Bobby Allen Stark, who was arrested in Guyana for alleged sexual assault in his country, was extradited to face charges. The 52-year-old had fled the United States to seek shelter from justice in Guyana.
In 2022, two fugitives who were wanted for sex crimes in the United States were extradited.
On February 25, 2022, Julian Yhip and Kareem Hack, who had been hiding out in Guyana for years, were extradited to the US to face charges on separate sexual offences.
Hack was arrested in Berbice, while Yhip was nabbed in Georgetown.
In November 2020, former Guyanese policeman Shawn Neblett was extradited to the USA, where he was wanted for trafficking cocaine. Ranks from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) picked up Neblett from a local prison where he was being held on remand pending extradition proceedings in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Neblett was wanted by the US for his role in trafficking 4.178kg of cocaine, which was found in four parcels inside a suitcase on an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in January 2017.