People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary and Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has welcomed the findings of the United States Department of State’s 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), which acknowledged Guyana as a reliable partner in combatting drug trafficking.

Speaking during a press conference at Freedom House, on Thursday, Jagdeo described the report as a “positive” reflection of Guyana’s evolving law enforcement capabilities and strengthened international cooperation.
“So, I think it was a positive report,” Jagdeo said. “When you learn to read these reports, you’ll see they carry systemic bias and are often written by lazy people who cut and paste. But the truth is, this one shows the good work we’ve been doing.”

In 2024, the reported noted that Guyana seized more than four metric tonnes of cocaine in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement at an airstrip near the border with Venezuela and also interdicted a semi-submersible off Guyana’s coast with 2.3 metric tonnes of cocaine.

Jagdeo described these operations as a sign of Guyana’s “maturing and effective” law enforcement strategy.
“These are the parts of the report you don’t often hear,” Jagdeo said, adding: “But they show real progress.”

To counter this, Jagdeo said the government has updated legislation, enforced compliance, and taken swift action in cases of serious misconduct.
The INCSR, which is submitted annually to the U.S. Congress, evaluates international efforts in the fight against drug trafficking and related crimes.
In its latest edition, it praised Guyana’s commitment to collaboration, noting that multiple agencies—including the Ministries of Home Affairs, Education, Health, and Human Services—play key roles in addressing drug-related crime.

The report highlighted the September 2024 launch of Guyana’s National Defence Institute, which was created to strengthen regional defence and security capabilities in partnership with CARICOM and the U.S.
It added, “Guyana has shown commitment to working with international partners to address drug trafficking.”

With this, the report added that the government had collaborated with the United States to increase seizures in 2024, especially for cocaine.

It also praised Guyana’s National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2022–2026, which outlines a comprehensive approach to interdiction, prevention, treatment, and anti-money laundering.

The plan is being executed by seven ministries, eight government agencies, and local NGOs, and is under evaluation by the Organisation of American States (OAS) and Guyana’s Drug Information Network.

Meanwhile, the Department of State indicated that the U.S. and Guyana have a strong bilateral partnership and shared concern for combatting transnational crime and enhancing regional security.
Further, the United States provides law enforcement assistance through the Caribbean Security Basin Initiative (CBSI) with training, technical assistance, capacity building, and justice sector reform.