2011 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) March 3, 2011 Guyana
A. Introduction
Guyana is a transshipment point for cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela destined for North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Generally, small aircraft transporting cocaine land at remote airstrips in Guyana’s unpopulated interior highlands or coastal savannah regions to refuel and continue on to offshore destinations. Due to weak land and maritime border controls and the vast unpatrolled interior, drug traffickers are able to conduct operations without significant interference from law enforcement agencies. The ability to detect drug shipments has received some recent investment, but a lack of focused interdiction operations and the capacity to monitor and control its expansive borders hinder enforcement of anti-trafficking laws.
Guyana has a drug enforcement presence at the major international airport, post offices, and to a lesser extent at the port of Georgetown. The majority of drug enforcement assets are centered in the capital, although progress has been made in building capacity in the interior. The three major agencies involved in anti-drug efforts are the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), and the Guyana Defense Force (GDF). Of the three, CANU has the most institutional knowledge and drug enforcement experience.
Cannabis is grown in Guyana, and high-potency cannabis is smuggled in from Jamaica. This is mostly for domestic consumption, and is not trafficked in significant quantities. The most commonly used drug in Guyana is marijuana, followed closely by cocaine. Ecstasy is becoming more prominent, although its
