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Business
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Canadian miner strikes preliminary deal for Guyana mineral claims

By
Diligence Posts Editorial Team

Lexston Mining Corporation, a Canadian mineral exploration company, has signed a letter of intent to acquire 15 mineral claims in Northwest Guyana. The agreement, executed through its subsidiary Lexston Guyana Inc., sets out a US$1.1 million cash transaction for a 100% interest in roughly 16,000 acres currently held by private claim holder Joseph Jardine. The property sits in Region 1, Mining District 5.

The purchase price is structured as a series of payments tied to time and regulatory progress rather than a single lump sum. An initial deposit of US$25,000 is payable on signing the letter of intent, and this amount is fully refundable should the seller withdraw from the arrangement. A further US$125,000 falls due once all necessary regulatory approvals have been secured, with an additional US$150,000 payable ninety days after that. The remainder is spread across deferred instalments: a first annual payment of US$200,000, followed by four further annual payments of US$150,000 each.

Mr Jardine has not stepped away from the property entirely. Under the proposed terms, he will retain a 2% net smelter royalty on any minerals eventually produced from the site. He also keeps the right to extract alluvial gold, meaning gold recovered from soil or sediment deposits rather than from hard rock, which remains outside the scope of the sale.

Lexston's leadership has described the acquisition as part of a wider push to diversify beyond its existing North American holdings. Securing ground in the Guiana Shield, company officials indicated, fits with plans to build exposure to international exploration territory rather than concentrating solely on domestic projects. Mr Jardine, for his part, pointed to the practical advantages of dealing with a publicly traded company, noting that Lexston's corporate resources and management structure would support proper exploration and development of the claims going forward.

The letter of intent has triggered a 90-day exclusivity period, during which Mr Jardine is prevented from entertaining offers from other parties. That window gives Lexston time to carry out due diligence, including environmental assessment, verification of title, and technical review of the exploration data available on the property. None of this guarantees the deal will close. A definitive purchase agreement still needs to be negotiated and signed, and the transaction requires clearance from Guyanese mining authorities before the claims can formally transfer. Canadian regulatory approval is also required, including sign-off from the Canadian Securities Exchange, where Lexston is listed.

Founded as an early-stage exploration company, Lexston's portfolio to date has been limited to projects in British Columbia and Nevada. The Guyana claims would mark its first venture into South America, a region that has drawn growing interest from junior miners in recent years owing to the mineral potential of the Guiana Shield, a geological formation spanning parts of Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela and northern Brazil that has produced significant gold and diamond deposits.

Whether the transaction ultimately proceeds will depend on the outcome of Lexston's due diligence work and the pace at which regulators on both sides of the deal process the required approvals. For now, the company has secured a period of exclusive negotiation, but the US$1.1 million price tag remains contingent on conditions that have yet to be met.