I am somewhat disappointed with the United States and their continued highhandedness where Guyana’s drug fight is concerned. Every year the US publishes its International Narcotics Control Strategy Report in which they say basically the same thing about Guyana year after year, yet still I can vividly recall the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) personnel being here sometime back to scout out the country, as well Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, with a view to opening offices in these locations.  The end result was it being opened in Trinidad only with oversight in Guyana and Suriname.

Now this is puzzling, in that the US is very much aware of how much help this country needs in its fight against drugs and they chose not to open an office here where they would be closer to the problem thus able to offer more assistance and expertise.  The Trinidad-based DEA can only do so much, which is practically nothing, from so far.

President Jagdeo has never stopped the US from opening a DEA office here; he is very much aware that we need help to get the drug peddlers off the streets and behind bars.  Everyone knows the demand for drugs in the United States is very high, possibly the highest, and we are also aware that Guyana is a transit shipment point for drugs leaving South America, where the supply is the highest, for other parts of the world.

Guyana needs help in weeding out and capturing these drug lords in society and prosecuting them and the US needs to step up their game, and like Dr. Roger Luncheon is reported in the news as saying; “more walk and less talk” is needed from them.

Work is being done by the Government in the fight against drugs,and this was acknowledged in the report; but there is definitely a need for more to be done and help to be provided by countries like the United States.