1 year later: US-sanctioned Police Superintendent remains on leave as drug trafficking probe continues

The probe into allegations that Senior Superintendent of Police Himnauth Sawh had connections with an international drug trafficking network continues nearly a year after he was sanctioned by the United States (US) Government, Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond has confirmed. Sawh, a senior officer in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), was among a group of four Guyanese named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June 2025 as part of sanctions targeting individuals linked to narcotics trafficking.
Following the sanctions announcement, Sawh was placed on administrative leave under the GPF’s standard operating procedures to allow for an internal and external investigation into the allegations.

Walrond reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and that law enforcement authorities are proceeding carefully given the complexity of financial crime and transnational narcotics networks. “As far as I am aware, he is still on administrative leave and yes, those allegations are being investigated,” Walrond said, adding that such probes take significant time and require meticulous work before any charges can be laid. It remains unclear whether Sawh continues to receive pay while on leave, though the Home Affairs Ministry has not publicly addressed this aspect of his status. The sanctions against Sawh were part of a broader US effort to target narcotics trafficking networks said to be operating in and through Guyana. In addition to Sawh, OFAC named businessman Paul Daby Jr, Randolph Duncan, and Mark Cromwell, all accused of facilitating drug shipments linked to Colombian and Venezuelan cartels.
The US Treasury’s sanctions list, which includes both Guyanese and Colombian nationals, alleges that the individuals named played significant roles in the transshipment of cocaine from South America to North America and Europe, exploiting routes that often pass through Guyanese territory and the wider Caribbean. Following the sanctions, President Irfaan Ali reportedly requested that the US embassy provide information to Guyana’s authorities on Sawh’s alleged involvement, suggesting cooperation between Governments in addressing transnational crime. The allegations against Sawh come after a series of high – profile anti – drug operations in Guyana. In September 2024, a joint operation by the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces and US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) personnel uncovered 4.4 tonnes of cocaine buried near an illegal airstrip in Region One.
Although Sawh was serving as the regional police commander at the time, he was never charged in relation to that case. He was subsequently reassigned first to the vehicle workshop at Eve Leary and then to the GPF’s Projects Office before the sanctions were imposed.