SOCU sting operation catches US-indicted Mohamed operating illegal cambio

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) conducted a targeted joint law enforcement operation on Wednesday at Mohamed’s Enterprise, located at 29 Lombard Street, Georgetown, where they found an illegal Cambio operation.
The operation followed credible intelligence indicating that illicit transactions were taking place at the premises. Mohamed’s Enterprise, the location of the illegal cambio, had its licence revoked by the Bank of Guyana following United States sanctions imposed on businessman Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed in June 2024. Both men are currently fighting their extradition to the United States.
During the raid, officers seized materials linked to unlawful operations, and several individuals were taken into custody and are assisting with ongoing investigations. All items recovered are currently undergoing forensic and financial analysis.
SOCU confirmed that further enforcement action will be taken where warranted, and charges are expected to be filed shortly.
Following the raid, US-indicted Azruddin Mohamed, who is now the Leader of the Opposition (LOO), said that the raid is political persecution and that they are not doing any business at the location. “The Government shut down all my businesses; you expect me to operate still?”
He and his party, We Invest in Nationhood, issued a long statement about being targeted by the Government and by law enforcement agencies.

No political persecution
However, hours later SOCU released two video sting operations where officers, acting as civilians, went into Mohamed’s Enterprise and were able to change foreign currencies despite the Cambio licence being revoked.
In a statement SOCU said, “This action forms part of an intensified national and regional security strategy aimed at disrupting organised criminal networks engaged in gold smuggling, illicit financial flows, unlicensed money exchange operations, and related offences.”
The operation also addresses recent allegations of political persecution by the Opposition Leader. SOCU said surveillance evidence will confirm that the raid was conducted strictly on credible information and that the allegation of political vindictiveness is false.
SOCU reiterated its commitment to enforcing the law without political influence, stating that no one is above the law. The agency also highlighted its ongoing collaboration with domestic and regional partners to protect Guyana’s financial integrity and national security.
Mohamed’s Enterprise and other associated businesses of the US-indicted father-son duo have been implicated in gold smuggling and tax evasion allegations, including the under-declaration of over 10,000 kilograms (kg) of gold between 2019 and 2023, resulting in more than US$50 million in avoided duty taxes.
The duo are currently fighting their extradition to the United States. The extradition process in Guyana is governed by the Fugitive Offenders Act, as amended, pursuant to an extradition treaty between Guyana and the US. Under the Criminal Law Procedure (Paper Committals) Act, a magistrate may proceed with preliminary matters in the absence of the accused if ill health prevents attendance and the defendant has consented through counsel. The Mohameds were first arrested in late October 2025 after the US Government formally requested extradition following the unsealing of an 11-count federal indictment.
The charges allege that between 2017 and June 2024, the father-son duo engaged in a scheme to evade taxes and duties on gold exports, using falsified customs declarations and reused export seals on shipments totalling over 10,000 kg of gold, causing an estimated US$50 million in lost revenues. In addition to the federal indictment, the pair were sanctioned in June 2024 by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which accused them of tax evasion, trade-based money laundering and gold smuggling.
The US Government’s extradition request triggered legal filings in Guyana’s courts, where the Mohameds’ lawyers have at times challenged aspects of the process, including the constitutionality of amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Act and the procedures under which extradition hearings are conducted. Several of those legal challenges have been thrown out by the court. The US alleged both father and son conspired to defraud the Governments of Guyana and the US through complex gold export and financial schemes; if convicted, the charges each carry potential decades-long prison sentences and significant fines.
Caption: Snippet of a sting operation video showing that despite its licence being revoked by the Bank of Guyana after US sanctions, the Mohamed’s are operating an illegal cambio at 29 Lombard Street, Georgetown.