According to Government sources, on Monday, 16th of December, 2024, Mr. Calvin Brutus, the former Deputy Commissioner of Police (ag), attempted to flee the country of Guyana via the Region 9 border at Lethem. Brutus is currently before the court for a number of financial crimes including alleged theft, embezzlement, and misappropriations of funds to the tune of billions of Guyanese dollars, along with his wife and other co-conspirators. Due to the seriousness of the crime, Brutus has been barred by the court from leaving the country.
The car that attempted to take Brutus across the border to Brazil.
Anyone who knows Region 9 well knows that the Guyana/Brazil border at Region 9 is extremely porous, and fleeing the country via Region 9 is a “walk in the park.” The fact then, that Calvin Brutus was intercepted is somewhat miraculous. After all, he would have carefully planned and timed his escape, taking all necessary precautions where few were needed.
What’s equally amazing is how Mr. Brutus managed to travel to Lethem with a travel ban to his name. If he boarded a bus, he had to pass 4 police checkpoints. If he took the plane, the travel agency at Ogle was supposed to know that, although it is a flight within Guyana’s border, it might be an attempt to leave the country illegally at Region 9. Someone somewhere along the way wasn’t paying attention, or persons were paid off.
The fact that Mr. Brutus attempted to flee the jurisdiction can be interpreted as a sign of guilt. Chances are, he has already, through proxies in Region 9 and neighboring Brazil, transferred his assets or has set systems in place to have them migrated to his new would-be location. Whether he was planning to make Brazil his new home or was only intending to use it as a transit point to another destination is not known. What is known is that Brazil is an easy country for a criminal with a lot of money to flee to, given the language barrier, diversity of the country, poor connection to Guyana’s information infrastructure, and many other factors.
The Region 9 border at Lethem is one of the easiest borders to flee through, especially for someone with a lot of money. The fact that Brutus was nabbed reflects bad luck, or perhaps someone snitched on him. Chances are, he might have bribed officials on his way to Lethem.
Whether it was bad luck, a snitch, or an act of God, we can only speculate. Or perhaps a subtle combination of all of those factors? Whatever the case may be, we must commend the security officials at Region 9 for keeping a sharp eye out and having their head on their shoulders, and for acting swiftly, expertly, and professionally.
