Guyana increased narcotic seizures through strong cooperation with the US

– US Department of State reports

Guyana made significant strides in its fight against narcotics trafficking as it pulled off one of the largest cocaine seizures in its history last year, through a strong and strategic partnership with the United States (US) law enforcement agencies.

The 2025 US Department of State’s International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) highlighted the accomplishment.

The annual report describes the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade, chemical control, money laundering, and financial crimes.

The report noted that “In 2024, Guyana seized more than four metric tonnes (MT) of cocaine, in cooperation with US law enforcement at an airstrip near its border with Venezuela…and interdicted one semi-submersible off Guyana’s coast with 2.3 metric tonnes of cocaine.”

In September 2024, the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Guyana Defence Force, discovered the cocaine concealed in four hand-dug bunkers, expertly camouflaged with branches, leaves, and wood.

It was hidden approximately 30 minutes from an illegal airstrip in the dense forests of Matthews Ridge in Region One.

This drug seizure alone was estimated to have a street value of €176 million.

Not long after this was reported, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali declared that Guyana will not be used as a conduit for drug trafficking, affirming the government’s strong commitment to dismantling the drug trade.

“Make no mistake, the bust is not the end of the matter. We have every intention of working with our partners to destabilise and break the back of all criminal networks, especially in drug trafficking operating within our territorial and airspace,” the president had underscored.

He did warn that anyone thinking of making Guyana a drug transshipment point will face the full force of the law.

In April 2024, a self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel, commonly called a narco-submarine, was intercepted off the coast of Guyana and 2,370 kilogrammes of cocaine were discovered inside.

This too came as a result of collaboration among the DEA Georgetown Country Office, the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS), CANU and the United States Coast Guard (USCG).

Not only that, the CANU reported that 5,094 kilogrammes of cocaine and 1,643 kilogrammes of cannabis were seized in 2024. This amounted to a street value of approximately $5.6 billion.

According to the CANU, this alone represented a 394 per cent increase from the previous year.

The report also noted that the government in September 2024 launched the National Defence Institute to enhance security expertise through its collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and US security and defense institutions.

Additionally, Guyana continues to implement a 2001 bilateral agreement with the United States that enables joint maritime and aerospace patrols to counter narcotic trafficking.

Notably, Guyana has been a member of the Regional Security System (RSS) since 2022.

“Guyana is a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission and is also signatory to several United Nations conventions, including the Vienna Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances,” the report stated.

In addition to these conventions, President Ali recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to further cooperation on tackling transnational drug trafficking crimes in the Caribbean region. This represents the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration’s dedication to eradicating all forms of drug trafficking activities through strong cooperation with its international allies.