Guyanese man jailed 18 years in Venezuela for alleged illegal mining

Thirty-three-year-old Guyanese Satrohan Gowkaran has been recently sentenced to 18 years in prison in Venezuela for alleged illegal mining, nearly three years after he was detained while operating a mining dredge. Gowkaran was arrested in October 2023 along with 16 other crew members while working as a welder aboard the dredge, but his family claims the operation had authorisation from Venezuela’s mining authority. According to relatives, Gowkaran’s case faced repeated delays, including the absence of witnesses and a prosecutor. After several court appearances, he was sentenced on September 24, 2026.

Gowkaran is currently being held at Guaiparo 2 Prison in San Félix. His family is appealing to the Guyana Government to urgently engage Venezuelan authorities and explore a retrial, or other legal avenues to help secure his release and return home.