In a major illegal firearms crackdown in Guyana, a 27-year-old Venezuelan construction worker has been remanded to custody following his Monday arraignment in connection with one of the largest illegal weapons seizures the country has seen in recent weeks. The Guyana Police Force confirmed that Jonathan David Gans, who resides in Great Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Rondell Weever at the Wales Magistrate’s Court on 15 June 2026 to face two criminal charges: unlawful possession of unlicensed firearms and unlawful possession of unlicensed ammunition.
Gans was first taken into law enforcement custody on 11 June during a targeted operation in Schoonard, West Bank Demerara, where authorities recovered 23 illegally trafficked AK-47 assault rifles and more than 500 rounds of ammunition. After the charges were formally read in court, Gans entered a plea of not guilty to both counts. Magistrate Weever subsequently ordered Gans held in prison ahead of his next court appearance, which has been scheduled for 14 July 2026.
The investigation into the illegal weapons cache remains active, and authorities have confirmed progress in tracking down additional co-conspirators. In a development on 14 June, a second person of interest identified as Randy Jagdeo turned himself in to police voluntarily as part of the ongoing probe. Law enforcement officials are still actively searching for a third suspect, Orlando Gabriel, who is also wanted on charges of illegal firearms possession in connection with the Schoonard seizure.
This bust marks the second major recovery of illegally trafficked AK-47 rifles in Guyana in less than a month. Just three weeks prior, on 22 May, law enforcement officials discovered 10 unlicensed AK-47 rifles during a separate operation in the Berbice region of the country. The back-to-back large-scale arms seizures have drawn renewed attention to cross-border weapons trafficking challenges facing the South American nation.