GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana police Tuesday ordered Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his billionaire businessman father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, to surrender all their personal firearms and ammunition, almost two months after United States authorities sanctioned them for alleged tax evasion on gold exports.
The Mohameds said that after the US sanctions in June 2024, police had seized approximately 70 security firearms used to secure their homes, businesses, and operations.
Deputy Police Commissioner Simon McBean, in a letter to the Mohameds said that “in light of these serious allegations” of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for which they were indicted in the Southern District of Florida, the suspects would have to “show cause, in writing,” why their firearm licences should not be revoked in keeping with the Firearms Act.
The Mohameds are currently contesting a United States request for them to be extradited to face trial for the charges for which they were indicted on October 6, 2025. Their matter is now before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the country’s highest court, based in Trinidad.
The senior police officer told the Mohameds that they are ”required to immediately surrender all firearms and ammunition currently in your possession, along with their corresponding licenses to the police officer(s) serving this document”.
Mohamed said he has since surrendered one 12-gauge shotgun, one 5.56 mm (.223) rifle, and one .45 pistol, and his father handed over one .32 handgun and one 12-gauge shotgun.
Mohamed said they were ordered to surrender the weapons after renewing the licenses on April 27, 2026.
The Deputy Police Commissioner told the Mohameds that the sanctions stemmed from an “investigation into your business network operating within and outside of Guyana” by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in collaboration with Guyanese law enforcement.
The duo was sanctioned in June 2024 for allegedly evading more than US$50 million in payments due to the Guyana government on the export of more than 10,000 kilograms of gold.
The Opposition Leader said he had previously refused an offer through the Parliament Office to be provided with police security because he would be unable to trust who would be deployed.
He said he would still not take up the offer and that neither he nor his father had ever been questioned about any gun-related incident.
He has accused the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of being behind the latest move by the police.
“They are terrified right now; they don’t know what to do. They tried everything against me, but they have not succeeded, so they are desperate right now. They’re like a headless chicken just running all over,” he said.
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