On a late Monday night near midnight, a shooting incident outside the Georgetown residence of Prem Narine, Senior Superintendent and intelligence chief of the Guyana Police Force, has thrown the high-stakes extradition case of two local businessmen into turmoil, with the Guyanese government formally updating United States law enforcement authorities on the unfolding developments. The incident comes as Narine serves as the key witness in preliminary extradition hearings for Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, who are wanted by U.S. authorities to stand trial on charges including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering linked to their cross-border gold trading enterprise.
Following the incident, Guyana’s Irfaan Ali-led administration confirmed in an official statement released Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Justice has received full briefings on what the government describes as “startling developments” connected to the shooting. Azruddin Mohamed, who also serves as Guyana’s Opposition Leader, was taken into police custody shortly after the incident alongside two other men: 25-year-old Mario Mohamed and 35-year-old Eugene Thorne, a driver, both residents of Timehri on East Bank Demerara.
According to Guyanese police allegations, the vehicle carrying the three arrested men passed Narine’s Kitty neighborhood Barr Street home twice moments before gunshots were heard. Investigators claim to have recovered a loaded .32 caliber handgun inside the vehicle, along with one spent .32 shell casing, while four additional spent 9mm shell casings were collected from the area outside Narine’s residence. The account has been fiercely disputed by Mohamed and his defense attorney Siand Dhurjon, who allege that law enforcement planted the firearm under the vehicle’s accelerator pedal during a post-arrest search.
The Guyanese government has drawn a direct connection between the shooting incident and prior threats made against the key witness, pointing to posts on Azruddin Mohamed’s Facebook page that published personal photographs of Narine, his wife, and his underage child alongside President Irfaan Ali. Under oath during prior extradition hearing proceedings, Narine formally told the presiding magistrate that he had received credible threats against his life and the safety of his family, specifically naming the younger Mohamed as a direct threat. Narine also testified under oath that according to Guyana Police Force intelligence, Azruddin Mohamed is linked to multiple unsolved killings and poses a tangible risk to national security.
In comments to reporters Tuesday, defense attorney Dhurjon flatly denied all allegations against his clients, asserting that there is no credible evidence to support any criminal charges. He argued that both the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Police Legal Adviser, as independent legal officers in a functioning democratic society, would be obligated to advise against pursuing charges due to the complete lack of probative evidence. Dhurjon added that the legal team is already prepared to file an immediate application for bail if formal charges are ultimately filed.
The Guyanese government has stressed that the incident carries sweeping, far-reaching legal ramifications that extend far beyond Guyana’s borders. While the current proceedings in Georgetown are only the preliminary extradition hearings that would precede a full criminal trial in the U.S. if the Mohameds are transferred, officials warned that the alleged plot to intimidate or harm the key witness threatens core principles of the rule of law on both sides of the bilateral relationship. “The ramifications here would not only affect the safety of witnesses testifying in the ongoing extradition case in Guyana, but it has implications for the criminal justice system of the United States of America,” the government’s official statement reads.
Administration officials have emphasized that multiple serious criminal charges are under active consideration in connection with the Monday night incident, and vowed that the state will deploy all available legal authority to protect witnesses participating in judicial proceedings. “The investigations are ongoing by the law enforcement agencies of the State. The State has a duty to protect its justice system from interference and perversions. Witnesses are key to any justice system. They must always feel safe when they testify,” the statement concluded.