– CANU Head James Singh
HEAD of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh, disclosed yesterday that, for 2012, the Unit will continue to fulfil its mandate in the fight against narcotics locally, as well as work collaboratively with local law enforcement agencies and foreign counterparts to ensure that drugs are not being shipped through Guyana.
For the year 2012, the Unit has, so far, effected three seizures locally. The first was a seizure on a boat in the Demerara River en route to Trinidad; the next was at Ogle International Airport, East Coast Demerara; and the most recent was at the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC).
Singh stated that, on January 18, 2012, a Trinidad and Tobago-bound vessel, the ‘MV Bismark 2’, was intercepted in the Demerara River and CANU Officers found aboard 27.203 kilogrammes of cocaine and 104 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.  Several persons were arrested and have since been charged.
A woman who was about to board a flight at the Ogle International Airport, on January 21, 2012, had in her possession 190 grammes of cannabis and six grammes of cocaine in two bags.  CANU intercepted and arrested the woman, who has since been charged.
On Monday, January 23, 2012, CANU officers intercepted at the Guyana Post Office Corporation a package which contained 510 grammes of cocaine concealed in cosmetics. 
Singh revealed that the Identification Card used by the person posting the package was bogus, with much of the information being fictitious, inclusive of the identification number.  He said that among the persons arrested was a Nigerian who is in Guyana illegally, whose residence was searched and a bogus Guyana Identification Card “workshop” was found.  Unearthed at that residence were several passport photographs of various individuals, including one drug offender arrested by CANU in 2010, whose matter is currently engaging attention in a Magistrate’s Court. 
Several Guyana Identification Cards were also found, all of which are suspected to be bogus. Several persons are in custody, and investigations are ongoing. 

Statistics
Singh said that, in 2009, 54 kilogrammes of cocaine were seized, the equivalent of 54% of the total amount of cocaine confiscated in that year; and in 2010, CANU seized 73.63 kilogrammes of cocaine, amounting to 55% of cocaine seized countrywide that year. In the year 2011, 126.55 kilogrammes, amounting to 50% of the total amount confiscated, were seized.
Singh told the Guyana Chronicle that, as for cannabis sativa (marijuana), 52 kilogrammes were seized in 2009; while five kilogrammes were seized in 2010, along with 21 grammes of heroin.  Fifty-seven kilogrammes of marijuana were seized in 2011, along with 39.5 grammes of heroin and 3005 cannabis plants.  He pointed out that many of these seizures took place in riverine areas, where in some instances there was some exchange of gunfire between CANU officers and drug traffickers and couriers.
Singh said that, over the past three years, approximately 80 charges have been instituted against drug traffickers; 38 of those cases are still pending resolution.

CANU
During 2010 and 2011, CANU strengthened its operations, and was able to provide significant support to the efforts of other law enforcement agencies at combating the drug trade. CANU’s operations were strengthened at the CJIA, Timehri, East Bank Demerara; Ogle International Airport; the Guyana Post Office Corporation, and at other major entry and exit ports.
CANU is working collaboratively with other law enforcement agencies and Task Force Units set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs.  Operations are not only centred in the area of ‘supply reduction’, but support was provided to the agencies that are primarily tasked with addressing ‘demand reduction’.
The Task Force Units set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which include Units to deal with smuggling, illegal firearms, narcotics and aviation and port security, work closely with each other, enabling the sharing of resources and information to tackle the various security threats.
CANU also continues to share information with its overseas counterparts with a view to stemming the flow of drugs through this region.