GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Businessman and newly elected opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar “Shell” Mohamed have been charged in the United States with fraud and money laundering. According to an 11-count indictment filed in the U.S. Southern District Court of Florida, the two men are accused of being involved in a gold smuggling and tax evasion scheme worth millions of U.S. dollars. The indictment also revealed that U.S. officials seized a shipment of gold bars valued at US$5.3 million at the Miami International Airport in June 2024. The shipment reportedly came from the Mohameds’ company, Mohamed’s Enterprise.
Court documents state that Nazar Mohamed owns 90 percent of the business, while Azruddin owns 10 percent. Both could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. U.S. prosecutors claim that from 2017 to 2024, the Mohameds exported over 10,000 kilograms of gold through Miami without paying the required Guyanese taxes and royalties, costing the government about US$50 million.
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The indictment says they reused official customs and gold board seals to make it appear as though taxes were paid on gold shipments when they were not. The men are also accused of bribing government officials to allow these illegal shipments to pass through ports undetected.
Azruddin Mohamed faces an extra charge for allegedly submitting false paperwork to avoid taxes on a Lamborghini Aventador SV imported into Guyana. The indictment claims the car cost US$680,000, but Azruddin declared it as worth only US$75,300, allowing him to avoid over US$1 million in taxes.
The charges come more than a year after both men and former Permanent Secretary Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged corruption and gold smuggling. Despite this, Azruddin recently led his new political party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), to win 16 seats in Guyana’s general elections. The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won 36 seats, while the PNCR came third with 12.
Although Parliament has not yet been sworn in, Azruddin Mohamed is expected to become Guyana’s next Leader of the Opposition. The indictments could create tension between Guyana and the United States, especially given Washington’s strong stance on corruption. So far, neither the Mohameds nor the Guyana government have commented on the case, and the U.S. Department of Justice has not released additional information.
