Fresh updates from Guyana dated September 17, 2026, confirm an official internal investigation has been launched into explosive allegations that law enforcement and immigration personnel have been accepting bribes to help Cuban nationals exit the country illegally through remote border routes. The claims center on the Lethem Trail, a remote backcountry pathway that connects Guyana’s border region to neighboring Brazil, where suspects are accused of facilitating unauthorized movement of foreign nationals in exchange for illegal payments.
The corruption allegations first came to light over the past three weeks, after the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) took multiple Cuban nationals into custody during enforcement operations. Multiple law enforcement sources, speaking on background to Demerara Waves Online News, confirm that detained Cubans accused on-duty police and immigration officers of soliciting inflated bribes to allow their unimpeded departure from Guyana. The increased bribe demands reportedly emerged after CANU ramped up arrests of unauthorized travelers, turning the detainees and their formal statements over to national police for further processing.
Additional context surrounding the case reveals a rift between two transportation operators that service the Lethem border route. One of the operators is reportedly closely affiliated with a senior high-ranking law enforcement official, and the disagreement stems from claims that corrupt practices have created an uneven playing field for competing businesses along the route.
Following the spread of the allegations on social media, Guyana’s Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken formally ordered the Police Force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) to launch a full internal probe to verify the claims and clarify the full circumstances of the alleged activity. In an official statement released by the Guyana Police Force, Commissioner Hicken emphasized that corruption and professional misconduct will not be tolerated within the agency, stressing that no member of the force will receive protection if evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered. “Any rank found to have violated the law or broken departmental regulations will face severe, appropriate consequences in line with national legislation and established disciplinary protocols,” Hicken warned.
Law enforcement officials are also urging members of the public and any individuals with relevant information or evidence connected to the allegations to share details with OPR investigators to support the ongoing inquiry.