On Wednesday, 26 August 2026, a fresh political dispute erupted in Guyana after law enforcement authorities detained a high-speed “go-fast” vessel owned by opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed over missing documentation, triggering accusations of partisan targeting from opposition figures.
The sequence of events began when police and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard intercepted the vessel after it reportedly failed to halt while entering the Demerara River, eventually locating it docked at Mohamed’s property in Friendship, East Bank Demerara. When ordered to present the boat’s valid registration, certificate of fitness, and the on-board captain’s operating license, Mohamed was unable to produce any of the required documents or even the vessel’s keys. A search of Mohamed’s person failed to turn up the keys, leading officers to order the boat detained at the Coast Guard’s headquarters.
After four hours in police custody, Mohamed announced Wednesday morning that the vessel’s hull had sustained visible damage during detainment. Opposition parliamentarian Tabita Sarabo-Halley of the Working People’s Alliance (WIN) clarified that the captain of the boat was not present at the marine police facility to hand over documentation, explaining the decision to keep the captain away was a protective measure. She noted that a previous captain who worked with Mohamed was blacklisted from future employment after his association with the opposition leader, leaving the team no choice but to avoid similar victimization.
Sarabo-Halley directly accused the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led government of orchestrating the detainment as political retaliation for the opposition’s outreach trip to Port Kaituma and Mabaruma. During that trip, Mohamed and his delegation met with survivors and family members of victims of last month’s MV Barima river ferry disaster, where Sarabo-Halley said local residents openly criticized the government for failing to deliver any support or relief in the weeks after the tragedy.
“This is a pre-planned political attack,” Sarabo-Halley argued. “The PPP was embarrassed by the anger residents expressed over their inaction after the sinking, so they fabricated a story of a high-speed chase and interception to justify stopping us on our way back.” She added that the detainment is part of a broader, coordinated campaign to bar Mohamed from traveling across Guyana to connect with constituents: following United States sanctions imposed on Mohamed and his father in June 2024 over allegations of gold smuggling and tax evasion, domestic airlines have already refused to carry Mohamed, tax authorities have attempted to seize his land vehicles over alleged import duty violations, and now the government is moving to restrict his travel by water.
Law enforcement officials rejected the opposition’s accusations, stating that Mohamed was given ample opportunity at his dock to produce the required documentation before the detainment order was issued, and that officers would not engage in what they called “cross-talk” over political accusations. Mohamed for his part dismissed the police demand for documentation as “nonsense”, claiming law enforcement “don’t know the law”, and argued the boat was not in active use at the time it was intercepted—though countered by officers who noted the vessel was already moored in the water.
Notably, Mohamed confirmed the detained vessel is the same craft he deployed to assist rescue efforts after the MV Barima disaster last month. The ferry, which was carrying more than 179 passengers and crew when it sank, left 72 people dead; 76 survivors were rescued, and Mohamed’s boat assisted in recovering multiple victims’ bodies from the river.