On Monday, July 20, 2026, Guyana’s national police force confirmed it had carried out a court-authorized search of the home of controversial local businessman Azruddin Mohamed, located in the Friendship community on East Bank Demerara. The operation, which has amplified already high political tensions across the South American nation, was carried out under a search warrant approved by a local magistrate following a review of evidence gathered by investigators, police said in an official public statement.
While the law enforcement agency did not explicitly name Mohamed in its formal announcement, the businessman’s sister confirmed the search on social media, noting that the raid took place while Mohamed was participating in official recovery efforts for victims of the MV Barima ferry sinking that occurred on the previous Saturday night.
Police clarified that the search is tied to the ongoing investigation into the 2021 assassination of Ricardo Fagundes, a well-known local figure better known by his nickname “Paper Shorts.” Fagundes was shot dead in broad daylight on Main Street in Georgetown in March 2021, just moments after leaving the popular Palm Court entertainment venue. Shaheen “Roger” Khan, who was with Fagundes immediately before the shooting, has long stated he believes he was the actual intended target of the attack.
In recent weeks, law enforcement has interviewed multiple persons of interest in the long-stalled Fagundes case, a development that has prompted sharp pushback from Mohamed. The businessman has publicly claimed the investigations are a politically motivated witch hunt, launched by the administration of President Irfaan Ali in retaliation for Mohamed’s earlier public revelations about a multi-acre private farm owned by Ali located along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
The search also adds another layer to the long-running legal troubles facing Mohamed and his family. Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, are currently wanted by United States law enforcement authorities to face trial on multiple federal charges including money laundering, wire fraud, and mail fraud connected to their family-owned gold trading enterprise.
The development comes as Guyana grapples with growing public scrutiny of political corruption and cross-border criminal activity tied to its booming gold sector, with the overlapping investigations expected to deepen political divides in the country ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.