President Irfaan Ali yesterday sounded a warning to drug dealers that Guyana is intolerant of illegal operations and they will face consequences for their criminality.
Pointing to the 4.4-tonne cocaine bust in Region One last Saturday, Ali yesterday posited that the illegal smuggling of drugs poses a deadly risk to national security and it is why his government will tackle the scourge head on.
“I would like to commend the security services, our joint services and our partners, the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration], for the recent bust in Region One. Make no mistake, the bust is not the end of the matter. We have every intention, working with our partners, to destabilise and break the back of all criminal networks, especially in drug trafficking, operating within our territorial space and in our airspace,” he said.
“We have already asked, and we are ready to work with our partners once we are given the assets, and once we can secure the assets to deal with all the overflights, all the overflights that are passing over our airspace, we are ready to work with you in dismantling the global empire that drug trade has created,” he added.
In a plea to the public, Ali said that tackling drugs head-on requires assistance from the public and he urged that they join with government and partners in the fight. “Part of that partnership is for all of us, not only the US and Guyana and the region, but for every stakeholder, because we see today how the trade is changing because of prices and demand, and Europe is being severely impacted. So all of us have a joint responsibility, and as small as we are, the limited resources that we have, you can be assured that we are taking our responsibility seriously,” he said.
“And any information, any information that is available to us, we will go after with best of our ability every single operation that has to be dismantled,” he added.
Ali said that Saturday’s bust was a “clear demonstration of a result to combat narco-trafficking and to protect our nation from being used as a transshipment point for the movement of illicit substances.”
To criminals looking to use Guyana as a transshipment point, he warned, “To those who may have ambitions of using Guyana as a transnational point for the movement of illegal substances. Let me be clear, we’ll come after you with the full force of the law. We’ll not allow our country to be used as a conduit for criminal activity, and will pursue those who seek to do so.”
Expressing gratitude and praising those involved in recent operations, he said that Guyana was dismantling any cells which may exist locally and that lend support to the transnational criminal cartels. “This is our commitment to the global community and all our partners. Drug trafficking is one of the varying threats to national security trade, and it is the emergence of such very threats, including cybersecurity, drone technology used during warfare, as seen, for example, in the Ukraine/Russia conflict, that requires a new and broader approach to the defence studies,” he said.
“The world has become more integrated, and because of this, we are less insulated than before. Threats to regional and global security are having greater effects on aspects of national life. Therefore, our attempts at strengthening national defence has to be broadened to take accounts of development in the national community, including geopolitical considerations,” he added.
Guyana recorded its largest seizure of cocaine on Saturday in Matthews Ridge, Region One, and questions remain about where the drug originated, how exactly it was to be transported to its final destination and how long the network has been in place.
The operation was headed by the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) with collaboration from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). One suspect was apprehended but his nationality and name are being withheld by the authorities until further notice.
