Two American citizens travelling to New York are being investigated after police and Customs officials discovered more than four ounces of suspected raw gold concealed in a hair-cutting machine and a handbag during separate security checks at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.
The discoveries were made on Sunday, and involved a 39-year-old American citizen and a 62-year-old American woman, both of whom were preparing to depart Guyana for the United States.
According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the first discovery was made at approximately 9:25 p.m. when security personnel found a quantity of yellow metal suspected to be raw gold concealed inside a hair-cutting machine.
Police said the machine was stored in a brown pouch belonging to the 39-year-old passenger, who was scheduled to travel to New York.
Approximately 22 minutes later, at 9:47 p.m., another quantity of suspected raw gold was discovered during the screening of the 62-year-old woman’s handbag.
She was also an outgoing passenger destined for New York. Following the discoveries, Customs officials were contacted, and the suspected gold was weighed in the presence of both passengers.
The first quantity, recovered from the hair-cutting machine, weighed 3.048 ounces, while the second quantity, found in the woman’s handbag, weighed 1.109 ounces.
Together, the two discoveries amounted to 4.157 ounces of suspected raw gold.
Police said both passengers, along with the suspected gold, were subsequently handed over to Customs officials for further investigation.
