Published: 31st of October, 2025 by Patrick Carpen
Last updated: October 31, 2025 at 21:53 pmEarly this morning, 31st of October, 2025, popular journalist and social media personality, Mikhail Rodrigues, AKA, the Guyanese Critic, broke the news that sanctioned businessman and leader of Guyana’s main political party, Azzrudin Mohamed, was arrested pending remand and extradition to the US for trial. The news was accompanied by an unsettling video showing Mohamed, once described as Guyana’s de facto prince, being treated like a common criminal. The stark notion behind the video, that the wealthy businessman, who grew up in luxury, might be placed in a cold dark prison with the common thief, was poignant and deeply disturbing. Some claim that the Mohameds were involved in criminal activates including gold and drug smuggling, trafficking of persons, tax evasion, and money laundering. The Mohameds have denied these accusations.
The Mohameds came to the spotlight around 2021, after a Facebook page described as a “sports team,” by the name of “Team Mohameds” grew in popularity. On the page, Azzrudin Mohamed, the son of a Georgetown business magnate, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, showed off luxury cars, yachts, and a regal lifestyle. But it didn’t stop there. Azzrudin Mohamed regularly posted his acts of charities which included funding businesses from scratch and building houses from the ground up for those in need. His acts of charity were extraordinary and unrivaled, causing him to win the hearts of a large fraction of the Guyanese population.
In 2021, after the gunning down of a gold dealer linked to Shaheed “Roger” Khan, some fingers pointed to the Mohameds as the perpetrator of the crime, suggesting it was a move to eliminate competition. The Mohameds denied the accusations. In June 2025, the Mohameds were sanctioned by the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for alleged tax evasion, gold smuggling, and money laundering. Around September 2025, Nazar and Azzrudin Mohamed were indicted by a Florida court, a development which raised speculations that the US might request extradition subsequently.
The arrest of Azzrudin Mohamed this morning, 31st of October, 2025, signals that the United States is serious about prosecuting the father/son duo, but many Guyanese feel that the move constitutes political persecution. Meanwhile, the Irfaan Ali led administration has denied any involvement in the US actions against the Mohameds, asserting that they do not have power to influence US politics and law enforcement, but that they would cooperate with the United States since the two countries enjoy optimal bilateral relations.
Update: Nazar “Shell” Mohamed was also arrested by local law enforcement today. This publication understands that the arrests are in connection with US gold smuggling and money laundering charges.
