GGMC breaks down Puruni camp of miner in longstanding dispute

Accompanied by masked policemen, the GGMC yesterday broke down the Puruni camp of a miner who has had court orders in his favour and who has been in a longstanding dispute with the Alphonso family.

Miner Marvis Halliman and his two security officers were last evening released after four hours of being in handcuffs after a raid by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and Guyana Police Force damaged expensive equipment. They were arrested by a large contingent of unidentified police and GGMC personnel. The arrests, following a raid on the Region Seven camp belonging to Wallace Daniels, have raised issues over police conduct, lack of identification and the obstruction of the press.

Halliman and his security were detained in handcuffs for over four hours at the camp before being transported to the station in Bartica. Halliman related to the Sunday Stabroek that he was released after “many phone calls were made and the police said sorry”. This arrest occurred despite the security officers showing the arresting police a licence for the weapon in question, which police claimed was found unlicensed in the camp. The Sunday Stabroek understands that the security officers had successfully passed various checkpoints, having provided the necessary documentation for their firearms.