Police at centre of alleged illegal migration of Cubans to Brazil

Last Updated on Thursday, 17 September 2026, 11:17 by Written By Denis Chabrol

Cubans have been allegedly bribing police and immigration officers to leave Guyana illegally through the back-track routes from Lethem to Brazil, prompting a probe by the Guyana Police Force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

Police said the ranks operating along the Lethem Trail and in Lethem have been accused of receiving payments to facilitate the movement of foreign nationals.

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken has since called in internal investigators to “determine the circumstances and veracity of the claims” made on Social Media.

Demerara Waves Online News understands that the issue surfaced after several of the estimated Cubans, who were arrested by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) agents over the past three weeks, accused police and immigration officers of demanding increased bribes to leave Guyana unhindered. The higher bribes were allegedly being demanded after CANU began arresting the Cubans and handing over them, along with their statements, to police.

Sources said two transportation operators on the Lethem route, one of whom is close to a top law enforcement officer, are at odds over the alleged malpractice that has led to unfair competition between the two.

The police force encouraged persons with information or evidence relevant to these allegations to make them  available to the Office of Professional Responsibility to assist with the investigation.

In the Guyana Police Force statement Commissioner Hicken “made it clear that corruption and misconduct have no place in the Guyana Police Force and that no rank will be shielded where evidence establishes wrongdoing.”

He warned that any member of the Force “found to have acted unlawfully or in breach of established regulations will be dealt with condignly in accordance with the law and established disciplinary procedures.”