High-stakes security meeting in Bartica after gas-station bombing

Senior officials from law enforcement, Government and local communities convened in Bartica this week to address growing concerns around border security, immigration, and community safety; a gathering made more urgent in the wake of the shocking terrorist attack earlier in the capital. The meeting at Regional Division #7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) headquarters was chaired by Assistant Commissioner Dion Moore, the division’s commander, with other senior police leadership, immigration officials, and regional civic authorities in attendance. Among the issues raised: porous borders, increased reports of illicit drug sales, and the “continuous monitoring” of Venezuelan nationals in communities. There were also calls for more visible policing, particularly from the KPS and VPS, during the upcoming festive season, and concern about cross-border terrorism.
All agreed on one point: the need for greater collaboration.

As the session ended, participants pledged renewed coordination to bolster security, protect vulnerable Amerindian communities, and tighten border controls.
Dr Satish Basdeo, Branch Manager of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Bartica, surprised some with encouraging news: a 41 per cent jump in road licence sales, and a 36 per cent increase in driver’s licence renewals, showing stronger local compliance with traffic and registration laws.
Tragically, last month, Guyana was rocked by a devastating bombing at the Mobil Fuel Station on Regent and King Streets in Georgetown. On October 26, an explosive device detonated, killing six-year-old Soraya Bourne and injuring four others. Police have since made a breakthrough: Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo, a Venezuelan national, has been arrested and confessed to his role in the attack. According to investigators, he entered Guyana by boat just hours before he carried out the bombing, allegedly placing the device and activating it via a switch after leaving his vehicle. Nine people, both Venezuelans and Guyanese, are now in custody, facing terrorism-related charges. The Government has indicated it will seek the death penalty under Guyana’s anti-terrorism laws.
President Dr Irfaan Ali denounced the bombing as a “vile assault on Guyana,” promising that justice will be relentlessly pursued.
In the months before the gas-station attack, Guyana experienced other explosions, notably in May at an East Ruimveldt police outpost and a Guyana Power & Light (GPL) substation on Mandela Avenue. Those suspects are said to be Venezuelan nationals also. Public speculation had swirled that these were part of a coordinated terror campaign. But Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken has shut that down: in his words, “there is no motive” linking the October attack to the earlier ones, and investigators have found no evidence of collaboration. He also reassured the public that the joint services have “ramped up all the gaps” to strengthen national security. The timing of the Region Seven stakeholders’ meeting could not have been more prescient. The concerns raised there, porous borders, rising numbers of Venezuelan nationals in local communities, and cross-border crime, now take on a sharper urgency in light of the bombing just weeks ago.
Region Seven, where the high-level meeting was held, is one of Guyana’s most sensitive border zones, a vast, river-linked area that directly borders Venezuela. For years, authorities have noted that it is one of the primary entry points used by Venezuelan nationals crossing into Guyana, both legally and illegally. As a result, the region has faced sustained pressures tied to migration, cross-border movement, and the rise of transnational criminal activity.