THE fight against drug trafficking in Guyana has entered a new era—one where traffickers are using increasingly sophisticated methods, shifting routes, and embedding foreign operatives in local networks.

At the forefront of the battle is the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), led by Director James Singh, who says Guyana’s national security, reputation, and future depend on ensuring the country never becomes a narco-state.

In a wide-ranging conversation on the programme Safeguarding Our Nation, Singh detailed how traffickers are adapting, how CANU is responding, and why partnerships—both international and domestic—are key to success.

“The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit was created to fight drug trafficking. Its mandate is to disrupt, detect, and dismantle drug trafficking organisations within the country and also those who may be intent on setting up a foothold here,” Singh explained.
“Drug trafficking threatens national security. Our mandate is to ensure that public security, investor security, as well as national security, is maintained, most importantly international confidence.”

Guyana, Singh emphasised, is not a producer of cocaine but has long been used as a transit point because of its strategic location. “Guyana, because of its geographic location, is caught between the suppliers in the Andean Region [in central Colombia] and consumers on other continents,” he said.
In the past, traffickers pushed shipments through the Caribbean basin toward North America. Now, the landscape has shifted. “Recently, there’s been a shift. Drugs are still coming into Guyana and then for tranship towards West Africa and Europe,” Singh noted.

According to him, coupled with the fact that there’s a greater demand in Europe, there’s better prices in Europe and less risk, it’s just across the Atlantic.”
To take advantage of this, traffickers are innovating. Singh pointed to “low-flying aircraft coming into our territory, maritime vessels, contamination of containers after they’ve left Guyana, as well as the construction of low-profile vessels, not to mention semi-submersibles.”
The majority of the narcotics entering Guyana, he stressed, comes from Venezuela. “It doesn’t help that it’s a narco-state and claims two-thirds of our territory, but it comes from Venezuela by plane or by boat to be further transhipped.”

Singh highlighted landmark operations as proof that CANU, working with local and international allies, is striking major blows. “In 2014, we seized the first semi-submersible. It was constructed here. Just last year, we seized another semi-submersible off the coast working with our DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] counterparts. Also last year, we seized 4.4 tons at an illegal airstrip, again with the Guyana Defence Force Special Forces.”

On the maritime front, CANU helped intercept 4.7 tons of cocaine “on board a vessel that had departed from Guyana loaded with the cocaine off our coast, and we tracked it all the way to West Africa.” Such successes, he said, demonstrate that “true international cooperation has resulted in large seizures.”
Intelligence plays a central role. “We’re working through informants, undercover operations, sharing of information from our colleagues overseas, as well as working with various communities,” Singh explained. “The public plays a vital role in intelligence sharing. Whether it’s a phone call, whether it’s persons in communities, if they see something, they hear something, they call it in. That has helps us tremendously in the fight against narcotics.”

For Singh, the fight cannot be waged in isolation. “Partnerships are key in the fight against drug trafficking,” he stressed. On the regional level, CANU collaborates with CARICOM agencies, the Regional Security System, and participates in training with RETRAC in Jamaica.

Internationally, the network extends further. “We continue to work with the DEA, the UK, the French, and the Canadian RCMP,” Singh said, adding that Guyana has also formed ties with Brazil, Colombia, and Suriname. CANU also participates in multinational bodies like the UNODC and the Transregional Intelligence Group.
This year, Guyana took part in Operation Zeus, a major multinational effort. Singh said it brought together “31 countries… that saw the destruction of 31 illegal airstrips as well as the seizure of over 3.5 tons of cocaine.”

Such cooperation, he believes, “is a testimony to the international respect and confidence, not only in Guyana but in CANU’s willingness to combat the drug trade.”
Despite the emphasis on intelligence agencies and foreign cooperation, Singh underscored that the Guyanese public is CANU’s “most important” partner. “We couldn’t do this job without the public support and public assistance,” he said.

He explained that many operations are credited to community members who provide tips, whether through phone calls or messages on social media.
Beyond enforcement, CANU has adopted a “hearts and minds” approach. “If we can go out there and sensitise you to the dangers and the effects on you, the community, and the country as a whole, that awareness and proactive approach is very impactful,” Singh said.

Through its Drug Information Network, CANU also works on demand alongside the Ministries of Health, Education, and Social Services, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and rehabilitation centres. Singh highlighted the importance of transparency, noting that CANU publishes weekly, monthly, and annual reports and maintains an active social media presence.
“The public helps us to keep ourselves in check. The feedback—we rely on them to let us know: Are we doing a good job? Are we being effective?” Singh explained.
“We don’t want to be an organisation where there are a lot of allegations or being seen as too heavy-handed. We’re here to work for you and with you to ensure a safer environment, safer country, and safer home.”

Singh warned that new challenges are emerging, including synthetic drugs like Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy and high-potency marijuana entering Guyana from as far afield as Thailand. Another concern is the presence of foreign traffickers trying to embed themselves in Guyana.
“There are new methods of concealment. No longer are persons trying to hide cocaine in wood or in fish. What they’re doing now is contaminating commercial shipments after they would have been scanned, after they’d have been checked by law enforcement…,” Singh said.

He also described tactics like loading narcotics onto vessels already carrying legitimate cargo once they are outside Guyanese waters.
To counter this, CANU is embracing technology, including scanners and surveillance systems, while working with agencies like Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and the GDF Air Corps to track suspicious vessels and low-flying aircraft.

For Singh, the mission is clear: ensuring that Guyana remains inhospitable to organised drug trafficking networks. “We are trying to ensure that Guyana does not become a haven, does not become a narco-state,” he said. “Drug trafficking organisations must see here as a bad place to do business because of two reasons: CANU’s zeal to fight drugs, and the government’s commitment in ensuring that Guyana does not become a narco-state or its citizens feel threatened by the narcotics trade.”