Unpaid $1.2B taxes: GRA says it has irrefutable evidence against Mohamed family

…court temporarily blocks vehicle seizures
…angry mob confronts GRA officers
…in 2016 under APNU, GRA seized Ban Shan Lin vehicles for unpaid duties

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said that it has “irrefutable evidence” of tax breaches by United States sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed and his relatives, following a tense stand-off Saturday morning that saw law enforcement officials blocked from seizing several high-end vehicles linked to nearly $900 million in unpaid duties.
Officers of the GRA, accompanied by ranks of the Guyana Police Force, went the Mohamed family’s Houston, Greater Georgetown residence to take possession of the luxury vehicles, after repeated notices and a month-long effort to resolve the matter amicably.
However, the operation was halted after the officers were met by an angry mob that physically obstructed access to the premises.
The GRA reported that Azruddin Mohamed refused to cooperate, questioned the basis for the operation, and summoned a mob from his property and nearby areas. The mob reportedly became increasingly hostile, prompting officers to retreat due to safety concerns.
Among the vehicles targeted for seizure were a Lamborghini Roadster, Ferrari 488, two Toyota Land Cruisers, a Rolls Royce, and a Range Rover—all allegedly imported under the re-migrant scheme but found to be in breach of its terms, including failure to meet residency requirements and false declarations of value.
Despite the mounting stand-off, the GRA noted that it had made multiple attempts to engage the Mohameds, sending three separate letters and emails inviting them to settle the outstanding taxes or make arrangements for inspection. No meaningful dialogue was initiated by the family, the agency said.

By Saturday afternoon, however, the GRA’s enforcement efforts were placed on hold by a temporary restraining order issued by Justice Gino Persaud at 13:39h. The court barred the GRA from seizing or detaining four vehicles—two Land Cruisers, a Lamborghini, and a Ferrari—until a further hearing.
At 15:30h, the court extended the order until Thursday, April 10, 2025, giving the GRA until then to respond to Azruddin Mohamed’s application for judicial review and a full injunction. Officers have since been instructed to cease seizure efforts and comply with the court’s directives.
While the legal proceedings continue, the total taxes owed by the Mohamed family amount to nearly $900 million, linked to multiple luxury vehicles allegedly imported under false pretences or in breach of the re-migrant scheme.
Among the amounts cited are $479.7 million for a 2020 Ferrari registered to Hana Mohamed, $371.7 million for a 2020 Lamborghini Roadster titled to Azruddin Mohamed, and $320 million for a 2023 Rolls Royce registered to Bibi Mohamed. Additional taxes include $61.4 million for a 2023 Range Rover under Leslie Khan’s name, and $24.6 million each for two Toyota Land Cruisers also registered to Azruddin Mohamed.
It was just days after the Mohameds had posted the vehicles on social media, that GRA began their investigations of the luxury vehicles.
GRA has made it clear that its actions were lawful and based on concrete evidence. The agency also emphasized that such enforcement is routine when duty-free or re-migrant concession agreements are violated.
Despite claims of political persecution by the Mohamed family, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has reaffirmed its stance that no individual or company is above the law when it comes to paying taxes.
“Seizure and possession of vehicles for taxes and breaches to remigrant and duty-free agreements are nothing new. Matter of fact, hundreds of such cases are carried out yearly when there are breaches by remigrants, public servants, breaches to Investment Agreements and even when Tax Exempt Agencies and Diplomats do not abide by the agreements by which such vehicles are entered free of or subject to reduced duty,” GRA said in a statement on Saturday, after it was blocked by a temporary court order from seizing or detaining any of the Mohamed’s luxury vehicles over some $1.2 billion in unpaid taxes.
It went on to say, “This particular activity results in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax collections on an annual basis. The GRA administers the laws in a fair and consistent manner, regardless of who the taxpayer may be. The Authority will vigorously defend the cases presently before the court.””
This assertion was underscored by parallels drawn to a 2016 enforcement action in which GRA officers seized two luxury vehicles belonging to Chinese logging giant Bai-Shan-Lin over millions of dollars in unpaid import taxes. The revenue agency had reportedly made multiple attempts over several months to have the company settle its tax liabilities, but those efforts were ignored.
Media reports at the time had states that the GRA’s seizure followed persistent non-compliance from Bai-Shan-Lin, despite clear notices and opportunities for resolution. The incident drew additional attention when reports surfaced that a senior APNU/AFC government official had previously intervened to halt the seizure during an operation.
In 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had announced that it sanctioned against Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, several of their companies, and a Guyanese Government official, Mae Thomas, for their roles in alleged public corruption in Guyana.
According to a statement from OFAC, this is related to the evasion of taxes on gold exports noting that between 2019 and 2023, Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10 thousand kilograms (kg) of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million (over $10 Billion Guyana Dollars) in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana.
Since being sanctioned, the Mohamed’s have never directly addressed the sanctions imposed by the US government.