‘$434M in drugs off the streets’

Jan 13, 2026 News

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– CANU tightens grip as Guyana shifts from transit route to regional disruptor

Kaieteur News – An estimated GYD $433.9 million in narcotics were ripped out of circulation here in 2025, resulting in 62 persons being charged and 29 convictions secured, with fines soaring as high as $311 million and prison sentences stretching up to four years, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has said.

According a report from the agency: 235.9 kilograms of cocaine, 726.3 kilograms of cannabis, and smaller but troubling quantities of ecstasy and methamphetamine were seized. Additionally, during the year 117 arrests were made. According to CANU Guyana is no longer content to be viewed as a convenient corridor for traffickers, but is instead positioning itself as an active regional disruptor.

Meanwhile, according to CANU a major institutional leap came in 2025 with the formal launch of Guyana’s National Early Warning System (EWS). The system strengthens national capacity to detect, assess and respond to new psychoactive substances (NPS) and emerging drug threats before they gain a foothold. The EWS integrates law enforcement, forensic, health, and analytical inputs to support rapid alerts, evidence-based interventions, and informed policy responses, aligning Guyana with regional and international best practices.

The anti-drug agency said throughout 2025, the unit intensified intelligence-driven interdiction operations, targeting trafficking routes, organised criminal networks, and high-risk ports and border points. These operations, CANU said contributed to significant seizures, arrests, and case development, reinforcing Guyana’s role as an active disruptor rather than a passive transit point within regional trafficking networks.

Additionally, CANU said during the year operational collaboration was enhanced among key national stakeholders, improving information sharing, joint operations, and coordinated responses to drug-related threats. “This integrated approach strengthened investigative outcomes, enhanced operational efficiency, and reinforced whole-of-government accountability,” the agency said. According to CANU in 2025, the Unit deepened engagement with regional and international partners, supporting joint operations, intelligence exchange, technical cooperation, and capacity- building initiatives. These partnerships enhanced cross-border threat awareness and reinforced Guyana’s commitments within regional and global drug-control frameworks.

In the area of demand-reduction, CANU said efforts were expanded through targeted prevention programmes, public awareness campaigns, and continued collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The unit said ongoing support to the Drug Treatment Court reinforced the link between enforcement, rehabilitation, and social reintegration. In terms of narcotics seizures CANU reported that a total of 235.9kg of cocaine was seized in 2025; Cannabis: 726.3 kg; Ecstasy: 674 g; Methamphetamine: 83 g and cannabis products: 9.16 g.  “Cocaine and cannabis remained the two dominant threats, representing the majority of trafficking attempts into and through Guyana. A major reduction in cocaine quantities compared to 2024 is linked to a single extraordinary seizure that occurred in Region One the previous year,” the CANU reported states.

Giving a breakdown of the seizures by region CANU reported that Region 4 recorded the highest cocaine seizures (172.8 kg); while Region 6 recorded the highest cannabis volume (576 kg). It said too that synthetic drugs, appeared in small but increasing quantities, prompting continued monitoring by the Early Warning System. For the years 117 people on drug-related offences while 62 of them were charged. Approximately 82% of all arrests were male, consistent with global drug-crime patterns, CANU said. The highest number of arrests were made in the months: April, May, July, and September.

CONVICTIONS

Further, CANU reported that a total of 29 drug-related convictions were secured during the year: Cocaine: 14 convictions; Cannabis: 12 convictions; Synthetic drugs: 3 combined (ecstasy/cannabis products). Fines ranged up to GYD $311M, and sentences extended up to 4 years depending on quantity and trafficking intent. The estimated value of the drugs seized was pegged at $433,973,770- $235.9M for cocaine and $197.7M cannabis.  According to CANU, cocaine and cannabis seizures accounted for over 99% of the total street value. During the year, CANU also seized 13 firearms, with 9mm pistols being the most common weapon type. Half of all firearms recovered were directly linked to narcotic trafficking operations, the drug enforcement agency said. Furthermore, CANU noted that for last year ammunition seizures declined by 62%, but the presence of 9mm and shotgun ammunition reflects continued overlap between drug and firearm networks.

In its efforts to combat the trafficking and use of narcotics, CANU said it reached 5,678 beneficiaries nationwide through: school-based programmes, youth engagements; community outreach and special-needs and vulnerable-group interventions. More than 86% of all prevention outreach occurred in schools, aligning with the academic calendar and targeting the most at-risk age groups, CANU said.

CANU said its officers also underwent capacity building training with some 27 of them receiving training both locally and internationally. Some of the training activities were supported by: UNODC, REDTRAC, CICAD/OAS, CBSA, French Special Operations, Colombian authorities, Singapore SCP, and national partners. Capacity growth included improvements in: crime scene processing; intelligence analysis; digital forensics; firearms proficiency and maritime and cybersecurity frameworks. Noting that it is poised to ensuring that Guyana remains positioned as a regional disruptor and not a passive transit point, CANU said it enters 2026 with advanced intelligence tools, expanded partnerships, and strengthened operational readiness to counter evolving trafficking methods and rising synthetic-drug risks.

High poverty, low pay

In its 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), the US Department of State had noted that high poverty and low-paying jobs in the public sector have led many Guyanese into the narcotics trade, which contributes significantly to increased crime and corruption, the United States government has said. “Despite growing oil wealth and the government’s increased efforts, the public sector – including law enforcement and customs officials – remains underpaid. Coupled with a lack of adequate resources and shortcomings in the legal system, this allows traffickers to exploit government systems and move illicit drugs through Guyana,” the report stated.

The US Department of State said that the government can fight drug trafficking by enhancing law enforcement and customs capability through port security improvements, intelligence operations with regional and international partners, implementing stronger anti-corruption measures, and strengthening its legislation relating to drug trafficking sentencing, to make it less attractive.

The report noted that as a matter of policy, the Government of Guyana does not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of narcotics, psychotropic drugs, or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.

However, the US said corruption in Guyana poses a significant obstacle to its efforts to combat drug trafficking. “Corruption within law enforcement, bribery, and nepotism in the public sector and political entities further complicate the fight against drug trafficking,” the US report stated.  The report added: “Authorities often drop charges or never file them and do not conduct serious investigations; traffickers are able to evade prosecution. Additionally, the economic appeal of the drug trade in Guyana, with its high poverty rate and low-paying public sector jobs, leads individuals to become involved in illicit activities and hinders efforts to curb trafficking. In two separate incidents in July, four GDF officers were charged with trafficking a total of 213 kilograms of cannabis. “

The report said that marijuana is the most used and produced drug in Guyana, and the country remains a major transhipment point for cocaine trafficking. Back in 2024 then Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn had told the National Assembly that the drug trafficking situation here is putting tremendous pressure on the security sector, noting then that there had been an increase in transnational crime, but it is not directly related to Guyana, instead, it is a result of the drug trade. “We are not the marketplace for the drugs. We are transit points, and the fact that the drug trafficking activity and criminality bring tremendous pressures in relation to the security sphere. We will continue to fight. We’re putting more money into this effort, and we are working at continuing to bring down the planes and to make the necessary seizures to deal with this nefarious business,” Benn had told the House.

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• arrests, Cannabis, CANU, cocaine, Report, seized

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