GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Sept 18, CMC – The Guyana government says more than 100 non-nationals have been blacklisted as the country intensifies enforcement against illegal mining and strengthens systems to ensure gold production is properly declared and enters legitimate channels.
Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat said the heightened enforcement has coincided with a significant increase in gold declarations during 2026, despite tighter controls across the mining districts.
“We have seen a significant increase in gold declarations in 2026,” Bharrat said, noting the improvement has occurred even as enforcement activities have intensified.
He said more than 100 non-nationals were blacklisted after concerns about mining activities, including cases involving illegal operations and instances where production was either poorly declared or not declared.
An expanded network of legitimate gold purchasing points supports the government’s enforcement drive with Guyana now having six Guyana Gold Board (GGB) offices, a 100 per cent increase. There are also four licensed gold exporters and an estimated 70 licensed gold traders.
Bharrat said the expanded network is intended to make legitimate gold sales more accessible to miners while strengthening oversight of transactions.
“There is a good traceability system in place. However, you still have instances of people trying to break our laws,” he said, adding that enforcement measures extend beyond illegal mining itself, covering the unauthorised sale and movement of gold and illicit activities within mining districts.
Bharrat said that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) remains the sole agency responsible for regulating mining and issuing mining permits across the country.
In Amerindian titled areas, miners must first obtain a no objection from the relevant village council before the permitting process can proceed and Bharrat said the objective is not to prevent legitimate mining, but to ensure that operators comply with Guyana’s laws, obtain the required permits and properly register their equipment.
“It is about ensuring everybody is in compliance with the law,” he said, adding that the government will work with compliant miners while it maintains enforcement against illegal operations and gold smuggling.
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