Venez. gunmen bury Guyanese dredge owner after riddling him with bullets

Oct 27, 2017 News

-survivor tells family

A gang of young Venezuelan gunmen riddled 25-year-old Guyanese miner Davinda Saywack, buried him in a shallow grave, and made off with an undisclosed quantity of gold from his camp in the Spanish-speaking territory.
Relatives said that a survivor said that the brutal attack occurred last Tuesday. Sources identified the area as Polvo de Oro (Gold Dust), located not far from the Guyana/Venezuela border.
A female relative of the slain man said that he travelled to Venezuela just four months ago. Kaieteur News understands that the dredge was previously operated by an elder brother.
Reports suggest that the gunmen entered the camp solely to execute Saywack.
Relatives alleged that the gunmen belonged to an organization known as the ‘sindicato’ (syndicate), which provides medication and other services to mining operations, while demanding a percentage from their earnings.
“They came and robbed, then riddled him with bullets. They shot behind the workers, then they buried him in a three-foot grave, and then ‘wash down’ the gold,” the relative said.
One of the workers who fled the scene notified Saywack’s relatives about the attack. The relative who spoke with Kaieteur News said that the Venezuelan authorities have given them permission to have the remains returned to Guyana.
Ranks at the Mabaruma Police Station have been notified about the killing.
While no clear motive has been given, there are suggestions that the killing might be linked to the death of a man, known as ‘African’, in the same area some four months ago. A sibling of the victim had reportedly vowed revenge.
Last July, gunmen with high-powered weapons killed Guyanese miners Vernon Eudoxie, 51; Cologne Solomon, 23; and Samuel Moses, 19; storming a mining camp at Imataka Mining Backdam, Venezuela. Two others were wounded.
A survivor who spoke to Kaieteur News said that the gunmen fled without taking anything. He stated that the killing stemmed from a prolonged dispute of the mining claim and ownership of an excavator.
A police release stated that the miners were part of a team employed by a Brazilian miner, operating a land dredge at Imataka Mining Backdam, Venezuela, when four armed men “with foreign accents,” entered the camp and began shooting indiscriminately.
And in September, gunmen tied up Brazilian dredge owner Siviomar Antônio de Oliveira, also called “Lorão, before shooting him dead in his Akaiwanna, Cuyuni mining camp.
Police later learnt that de Oliveira was wanted in Brazil for the murder of his first wife, and had even murdered some of his fellow inmates in prison.