Guyana considers collaboration with regional and international partners to monitor airspace – Pres Ali on combating drug trafficking

– promises to break the backbone of the drug trafficking network

Guyana has long been known as a safe haven for drug trafficking. The government is now looking to work with international partners to better monitor its airspace as part of efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks.
Last week, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and local Joint Services, in collaboration with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), discovered approximately 4.4 tonnes of cocaine, with a street value of €176 million (G$40.7 billion), hidden in several bunkers around an illegal airstrip near Matthew’s Ridge in Region 1 (Barima-Waini).

Guyanese authorities suspected that the narcotics had been brought into Guyana by air from a nearby country and were waiting there to be shipped to Europe by sea/ocean.
Commenting on this recent successful operation on Wednesday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said it is a sign of the determination of this government to combat drug trafficking and more specifically to protect Guyana from continued use as a transit destination for the smuggling of illicit substances.
“To those who have ambitions to use Guyana as a transnational hub for the movement of illicit substances; let me be clear, we will go after you with the full force of the law. We will not allow our country to be used as a conduit for criminal activities and will prosecute those who seek to do so. You have recorded tremendous successes in recent times at drug crossroads and those involved in this deserve our commendation. We are committed to dismantling any cells that may exist locally and provide support to transnational criminal cartels. This is our commitment to the global community and all our partners,” President Ali said during the launch of Guyana’s National Defence Institute.
The Head of State stressed, however, that last week’s massive drug bust does not mark the end of these efforts. Guyana now wants to work with regional and international partners to tackle the drug trafficking network.
According to President Ali, the focus will now be specifically on guarding the country’s airspace.
“We have every intention, together with our partners, to destabilize and break all criminal networks, particularly in drug trafficking, that operate within our territorial space and in our airspace. We have already asked and we are prepared to work with our partners, once we have the means and once we can secure the means, to tackle all overflights that fly over our airspace. We are prepared to work with you to dismantle the global empire that drug trafficking has created,” the Guyanese leader asserted.
To achieve this, President Ali stressed the importance of cooperation at both regional and international levels.
“We need that support. We need to work together. You have a partner in us… and part of that partnership is for all of us, not just the US and Guyana and the region, but for every stakeholder (to work together) because today we see how trade is changing because of prices and demand, and Europe is being severely affected. So, we all have a shared responsibility, and as small as we are and with the limited resources that we have, you can be assured that we take our responsibility seriously. And any information, any set of information that is available to us, we will pursue to the best of our ability,” Ali noted.
CANU Director James Singh told reporters in Region One on Sunday that the illegal airstrip was built with the idea of ​​accommodating small aircraft bringing in narcotics from outside Guyana.
According to Singh, the discovery was the second phase of an ongoing operation with the GDF to identify and monitor illegal airstrips across the country. He revealed that a few days earlier, the Joint Services ranks had found a quantity of fuel and with the help of people in the area, further investigation led to the unearthing of the cocaine that was found hidden in the bunkers/pits that were dug by hand, about five to six feet deep and covered with tarpaulin, wood and bushes. The cocaine worth one billion dollars was destroyed after samples were taken for further analysis.
Meanwhile, as the investigation into the massive drug haul continues, there are reports of the involvement of a senior police officer.
When questioned about this, Acting Police Chief Clifton Hicken told reporters on Wednesday that he was not aware of this and that the Guyana Police Force would conduct an independent investigation into the allegation if it was found to be true.
“I have said that I am going to take (James Singh) on and if there is an investigation by CANU, of course we will act on that as soon as we have the information,” the top police officer told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday.
President Ali also commented on this claim, adding that “the drug seizure was led by our Joint Services, our intelligence service with international partners (and) they have done an extremely good job… This is an ongoing (investigation) and of course the agencies will continue their work to identify all the players and gather as much information as possible.” (G-3)