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On 14 October, Guyana’s inquiry into the MV Barima ferry disaster heard testimony from Timehri tower officer Tia Valenzuela, who confirmed she relayed distress beacon coordinates to the Coast Guard at 10:51 p.m. on 18 July. This transmission occurred eight minutes after the initial satellite alert was received from a NOAA centre in Maryland, contradicting earlier testimony that suggested a five-minute response time. The MV Barima, a state-owned vessel, capsized while traveling to Port Kaituma, resulting in 73 recovered bodies and 76 survivors. The commission, chaired by judge Godfrey Phillip Smith, is evaluating whether the rescue response was adequate.
Former Guyana police officer Mark Cromwell, also known as Demon or Diamond, became the focus of an investigation into the disappearance of 28-year-old Siegello Lorenzo van Dalen and 29-year-old Derryl Danillo Bont, who went missing after crossing toward Guyana on August 29. While Cromwell has not been charged in connection with the men, his brother, 33-year-old Jimmol Murphy, was charged with abduction and granted bail of 1 million Guyana dollars. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Cromwell on June 5, 2025, labeling him a violent drug trafficker and associate of sanctioned national Paul Daby Jr. The case highlights security concerns along the river border between Guyana and Suriname, a region utilized by smugglers.
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