THE United States Department of State’s 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)’s comments on Guyana are testimony to the changing and resolute approach of the country against drug trafficking.
Guyana has for years been recognised as a vulnerability in the global narcotics chain, but recent trends bode well for a new generation that should be applauded for their efforts in combating this scourge.

The statistics are staggering. In 2024, Guyanese authorities, assisted by U.S. law enforcement, seized more than four tonnes of cocaine from a remote strip north of the Venezuelan border and unloaded a semi-submersible off the coast with an additional 2.3 tonnes—total seizures with an estimated street value of over US$195 million.

These operations, driven by information-sharing and combined task forces, are a sophisticated law enforcement achievement and the obvious reward of successful international partnerships.
This success is underpinned by the government’s strategic investments and reforms.

The creation in September 2024 of the National Defence Institute (NDI), which was crafted in partnership with CARICOM and the U.S. Department of Defence, is a bold step towards Guyana’s security modernisation as well as local capacity building in intelligence operations, maritime security, and aerial surveillance.

The NDI, alongside the 2022–2026 National Drug Strategy Master Plan, is an integrated approach that combines interdiction, prevention, treatment, and anti-money laundering having as its target not only the seizure of narcotics, but the breakdown of the networks and money streams that underpin the trade.
These steps have not gone unnoticed by Guyana’s international partners. The United States, also in partnership with the Caribbean Security Basin Initiative (CBSI), has extended training, technical support, and capacity building to Guyanese law enforcement and justice sector reform.

Regional co-operation has also been intensified, with Guyana co-operating along with CARICOM IMPACS, the Brazilian Federal Police, the Colombian task force, and the Regional Security System (RSS), resulting in a significant seizure of cocaine and marijuana and disruption of large trafficking chains.

Yet, as President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo both testified, the war is far from over. The sheer scale of these operations belies the size and adaptability of the criminal networks involved.
Smuggling routes are constantly in a state of flux and new challenges—such as illegal importation of drugs and weapons through non-traditional means—require constant vigilance and ingenuity.

The government’s commitment to modernising its legal framework, promoting compliance and holding officials accountable is essential to maintaining public confidence and international trust.
Guyana’s recent gains should be a source of national pride and an impetus to action. The country is demonstrating that with long-term vision, international co-operation, and relentless enforcement, even the most entrenched criminal economies can be challenged.

But success cannot become complacency. Continued investment in intelligence, technology, and regional partnership is still necessary, as is the need for more far-reaching support from external partners to address the evolving threat environment.
The message from the INCSR and the leaders of Guyana is as unambiguous: Guyana is no longer to be a transit state for illicit drug trade.

It is showing the world what can be achieved through partnerships, reform, and determination in protecting themselves and their people. The world should sit up and take notice—and give its continued support.