Taxi driver charged over $50M robbery of Lusignan businessman

Deryck Holder

Already behind bars on an armed robbery charge, Deryck Holder, of Lot 9 Second Street, Meadow Bank, Georgetown, has been charged again for his alleged involvement in the $50 million robbery of a Lusignan, East Coast Demerara businessman.

Holder, a 40-year-old taxi driver, is accused of invading the businessman's home and escaping with $50,160,000 in cash. The alleged armed robbery took place around 3:00 a.m. on December 12, 2024, at the businessman’s residence in Lusignan.

The case was brought before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court. However, as the defendant is currently on remand at the Lusignan Prison, he is expected to appear in person before the Magistrate on December 19, 2024, for the charge to be formally read.

According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the businessman resides in a two-storey concrete building, with the lower flat operating as a hardware store.

On the day of the robbery, the businessman’s brother, a medical doctor, was asleep in his bedroom when he was confronted by three gunmen demanding cash. The brother handed over approximately $100,000, which he had on him at the time.

The gunmen, unsatisfied, demanded more money. Fearing for his life, the brother led them to the hardware store on the lower flat of the building, where his brother kept a large sum of cash.

The men searched the premises and discovered $50 million in cash stored in a black plastic bag. They took the money and fled the scene in a getaway car.