CURACAO Extra News reported, in that country yesterday, that three persons have been detained in connection with the November heist of 70 gold bars worth US$11.5M on board the vessel ‘Summer Bliss’. The newspaper also revealed that some of the booty has been recovered by the police and may be handed over to the company which imported it.
The Guyanese registered cargo carrier ‘Summer Bliss’ was robbed on its arrival in Curacao, on November 20, by a gang of gunmen dressed as police.
The vessel from which 476 pounds of gold was stolen had last been in Guyana last June 19 and, up to now, local authorities have been unable to track down its owner, Acting Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell told reporters earlier this month.
He said it arrived here on June 17 and left two days later but he could not have verified if it departed with the gold on board.
The Top Cop added that, so far, investigations have led Guyanese Police to an address but, unfortunately, no one was found at the location.
Local police are also in receipt of the name of a businessman and are following all possible leads to find him.
The Guyanese registered fishing boat was smuggling 216 kilogrammes (70 bars) of raw gold when it was robbed by the bandits posing as Police.

Zero tolerance
Almost one week after the robbery, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud reiterated the Government’s zero tolerance approach to gold smuggling and has since recommended that an independent probe be launched.
As a result of the intervention, two senior officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) have been deployed to the Dutch-speaking country with the intention of confirming whether or not the goods originated from Guyana.
Initial reports suggested that the gold had been smuggled from Guyana but later it was hinted that the precious metal may have originated from Guyana’s sister Caricom country, Suriname.
Ever since the incident, the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) has denied knowledge of the gold, citing that permission was never given for the shipment whether by sea or by air.
The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) also distanced its members from involvement with the occurrence.
However, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has launched a probe to verify if it is in receipt of any information or documentation about the shipment.