The Ministry of Home Affairs says that Guyana is not among the 22 countries worldwide that appear on the US Drug list which drives home the point that this country is not a narco-state.
A press release was issued on Friday night to draw attention to a news item published by the BBC which was not reproduced in the local press.
According to the BBC website, the release said, US President Barrack Obama had added two Central American countries to a blacklist of countries considered major producers or transit routes for illegal drugs.
US State Department officials said that cartels were using the two Central American routes for smuggling cocaine from South America north to Mexico and the US.
“A total of twenty two countries worldwide now appear on the drugs blacklist. Guyana does not appear on that list,” the release said, adding that three countries were deemed to have “failed demonstrably” in the fight against drugs. It was against stressed that Guyana does not feature among those countries.
“A country is so deemed when it does not fulfil its obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements and conventions. Such a designation can lead to a country attracting sanctions,” the release added.
It further noted that the report by the US, underscores the success of Guyanese counter narcotics efforts over the years. These efforts it was noted clearly surpass those of many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
“The report gives the lie to those in Guyana who are in the habit of describing Guyana as a narco state and is not actively engaged in fighting the drug trade,” the release said.
