A massive cocaine haul in Guyana brings to light the government’s reliance on outside help to find the vast amounts of cocaine that are trafficked across the nation. On August 31, Guyanese officials, using intelligence from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), found an illegal airfield in the northwest coastal region of Barima-Waini, where they found and confiscated 4.4 tons of drugs concealed in camouflaged pits. The record-breaking find outweighs the 85 kg of cocaine found overall in 2023 and the 1.6 tons found overall since the start of 2020.
On March 29, the nation’s coast guard and Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) stopped a go-fast boat near the north-central Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region, seizing another substantial consignment weighing 536 kilograms.
Significant quantities of cocaine have also recently been taken from ships that left Guyana by foreign authorities.
On March 21, 2024, the US Navy apprehended 2.4 tons on a narco submarine that was traveling 150 miles from Guyana into Spain. In September 2023, Spanish authorities found a ton of cocaine on a fishing boat off the coast of Cape Verde that was registered in Guyanese. In November 2020, a consignment of scrap metal was delivered from Guyana, and 11.5 tons was discovered by Belgian inspectors in Antwerp.
During interpol operations in March and April, a narco submarine that could travel both local rivers and the ocean was also found. The submarine was capable of delivering three tons of cocaine.
The most recent record seizure serves as further evidence of Guyana’s ongoing relevance as a drug transit nation and emphasizes the value of international collaboration in the fight against the trafficking.
Venezuela, a significant center for the trafficking of cocaine from Colombia, is a main route via which cocaine is transported to Guyana. The drug trail reaches Guyana through the state of Delta Amacuro in northeastern Venezuela. Drugs can enter Guyana with ease due to protection from trafficking networks established in the corrupt military of Venezuela.
In addition to Guyana’s close proximity to Venezuela, the inability of Guyanese authorities to identify drugs also contributes to the country’s appeal as a trafficking hub.
According to Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies research organization, “Guyana’s limited security capabilities, in addition to its geographic location, facilitate trafficking.” Griffith made this statement to InSight Crime. “Traffickers are aware of the army, police, and coast guard’s limitations.”
