According to the US government, many Guyanese have turned to the drug trade because of high levels of poverty and low-paying public sector positions, which greatly increase crime and corruption.
The US Department of State stated in its 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) that in 2024, Guyana, working with US law enforcement, seized over four metric tons (MT) of cocaine at an airstrip close to its border with Venezuela. This was the largest drug seizure in Guyana’s history, and one semi-submersible off the coast of Guyana was found to contain 2.3 MT of cocaine.
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The report noted, “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 US Department of State stated that it can combat drug trafficking by making it less alluring by strengthening law enforcement and customs capabilities through port security upgrades, intelligence operations with regional and international partners, enacting more robust anti-corruption measures, and fortifying its laws pertaining to drug trafficking sentencing.
According to the report, the Government of Guyana does not, by policy, support or aid the unlawful manufacture, distribution, or laundering of the proceeds from drug-related activities. This includes the manufacturing and distribution of narcotics, psychiatric medications, or other banned substances.
But according to the US, one major barrier to its attempts to stop drug trafficking in Guyana is corruption.
The report stated, “Corruption within law enforcement, bribery, and nepotism in the public sector and political entities further complicate the fight against drug trafficking.”
It 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. “
According to the research, Guyana continues to be a key trans-shipment hub for cocaine trafficking, and marijuana is the most consumed and manufactured narcotic in the nation. The United States and Guyana’s Joint Interagency Task Force, which includes its Defense Force (GDF), worked together in 2024 to intercept a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) carrying 2.3 MT of cocaine about 150 miles off the coast of Guyana and seize 4.4 MT of cocaine valued at about $195,000,000, the largest drug seizure in the nation’s history.
In the waters near Port Kaituma, which is close to the Venezuelan border, authorities also discovered an empty and abandoned low-profile vessel (LPV). The inquiry was still underway as of October, and no one was arrested.
Between January and September of 2024, 6,700 kilos of cocaine were seized, compared to 62 kilograms during the same time in 2023, because of these two occurrences. In 2024, there were 1.4 million marijuana seizures, up from 1.1 million over the same period in 2023. In terms of the number of narcotics confiscated in 2024, methamphetamine came in at a dismal third (.06 kg).
Robeson Benn, the Minister of Home Affairs, informed the National Assembly during the January budget deliberations that the security sector is under a lot of strain due to the drug trafficking crisis in our country. Although there has been a rise in international crime, the minister informed the House that the drug trade is to blame rather than Guyana.
Minister Benn stated, “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.”
Regarding the Guyana Police Force’s drug seizures in 2024, Benn stated that there were 1463 seizures, 581 reports, 1379 charges, and 77 convictions. Six charges were filed, and 31 reports were submitted to Trafficking in Persons (TIP).
“The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit made the significant seizure of over 4000 kilograms of cocaine in our country over the years. The Guyana Police Force also seized, after discovering particular types of submersible vessels, three vessels, which were intended for use in drug trafficking…” Benn remarked.
